STEPH DEROSA: TO WRITE LOVE ON HER ARMS >>>

Yes, Valentine’s Day is a stupid made-up greeting card day.  You buy flowers, chocolates, some Colt 45, a box of Trojans and call it good.  I’m sure Greek mythology can take me back to the real meaning if I dig really deep, but I really don’t care to dig at all.  My thoughts are that I have to spend money â€" to buy the supplies â€" to put together cards â€" to put some candy on them â€" to hand out to my daughter’s class â€" so that everyone can have one â€" all 24 of them â€" and be happy.  What a pain in the ass.  Or is it?

The message that these Valentine’s cards are sending is plain and simple: You are loved.  Who doesn’t love to hear that they are loved?  So what if Hallmark is buying gold toilet paper with the millions they’re making off this bullshit holiday?  I get to hear that people actually LOVE me, and that thrills me to no end.  Nothing beats a gloomy day better than a friend letting you know they care, that they are thinking of you, that you are special.

I know I can be outspoken with my rants, my headaches, and my incessant ramblings of cynicism â€" but this time I ask you to let me speak out for a good cause: To Write Love On Her Arms. Through music, this non-profit organization brings hope to people fighting depression, drug addiction, self-injury, and suicide. 

I’m not asking you to spend any money, I’m asking you to do just one thing: Spread the love.  Today, on Feb. 13, tell the people you care about that you do actually care about them.  Not because of a holiday, not because you just want to get laid, but because that person’s happiness is important to you.  Love IS the movement.