It's not a matter of when but how you show it
By Atiqa Hazellah
news@nst.com.my
PEOPLE eagerly await this day in February when they can express their heartfelt emotions to those who give meaning to their lives.
Valentine's Day has made the "when" part of it easy, and the only thing now is "how" because most of us are not good in expressing our feelings.
For Jagdish Wohlrath, Valentine's Day is just another day in a year of being married to the love of her life, German-born Karl Wohlrath.
"We used to celebrate Valentine's Day during our first five years of marriage. He would buy me flowers or simply wish me 'Happy Valentine'.
"Even if we were far apart on that day, it was never a problem because our love reached each other and closed the distance that separated us."
She remembered when Karl surprised her with a bouquet of red roses on the morning of Valentine's Day.
"I was surprised and touched when he presented me with the roses, knowing that he is not a romantic man."
Later, she found out that he had bought the roses the day before and hid it in the car.
"My Valentine's Day is always special even without material gifts from my husband. Just being loved by him is what makes the day special," said the 45-year-old housewife.
Jagdish thinks that Valentine's Day is commercially-induced to get people to spend on their special ones.
However, she said if couples insisted on spoiling their other half, it's actually a good day for spending money.
"It's a reminder, especially to your wife or girlfriend, of how much you love her."
Businessman Zulfakar Ismail, 54, said Valentine's Day should be spent with the "significant other".
"For me, every day is Valentine's Day with my wife and Feb 14 is just a date on the calendar."
Being married for 29 years to Noorzaidah Mohamed Noor, 53, he said the secret of a good relationship was putting the needs of your partner before yours.
Couples should make a commitment to their partner and that commitment must come first.
"The main thing isn't spending time together or giving flowers and chocolates, but remembering that we're together and how lucky it is to be with her," Zulfakar said.
"Just think about it and say 'Man, I am so lucky.'"
When Zulfakar and Noorzaidah were dating in their younger days, they did exchange cards, flowers and gifts. But soon, he realised that the best gifts were those from the heart, given freely and sincerely.
Real love comes in many guises -- respect, kind words, unbroken promises, support and tolerance.
Despite all the hype, he doesn't have any plans for the day. He only wants one thing and that is to be his wife's Valentine for the rest of his life.
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