It’s Valentine’s Day and Vietnamese New Year- a double whammy. This morning, my mum and I, visited my brother at his quiet spot on a grassy hill at the cemetery.

It’s tradition- we bring his favorite soda, Dr. Pepper, and Doritos and small plates of Vietnamese food. We each said our little prayer and lit incense for my brother.

My mum gather another small bundle of incense and as she burned the fragrant tips, she told me to share one incense stick and prayer for each tombstone around us. And that’s exactly what I did.

Starting from the right of my brother’s grave, I said a prayer in Vietnamese for that individual (whether they were Vietnamese or not), wishing for peace and love for them. As I made my away around to each tombstone, I thought about the lives and spirit behind each person. I mean, for each marble stone captures a whole life of a real human being who has a loving family.

Long lives. Those born in the 1920′s.
Short lives. Those who deceased after only a few decades.

But there I stood, planting an incense into the moist ground right in front of each tombstone. I had a moment with each person’s spirit. Spreading my love. And I realized how proud I was to be my mum’s daughter…how much love she gave to even strangers.

Maybe that’s who I get my personality to help people and spread love. Actually, I know that I got that trait from my mum. and I’m proud and thankful at the same time.

This is what Valentine’s is about. LOVE.

Love surrounds us. Share love for one another- stranger and all.