There is a wonderful confluence of events today.  It is Valentine’s Day – a day to celebrate love in all of the ways it shows up in our lives. It is also the beginning of the season of Lent, when our Christian neighbors will begin a 40-day period of reflection and preparation for Easter. When I was a child, all of us kids were asked to give something up – which generally meant giving up sweets. There was something brave about choosing to give up something we loved for the sake of a higher purpose. It was less about denial and more about taking control, but it was also good for us to realize the privilege that comes with the ability to eat sweets, and to be able to deny ourselves that pleasure felt like a positive step in living our values.