It’s important to remember that we should show our appreciation and love for those around us every day, not just on that day where love is traded as a commercial commodity.

With that in mind, it was my neighbor who taught me the very essence of what that day should mean and here is a story she recounted this past Saturday:

Every year at her school, they have a huge bowl where all the other teachers put in a card for someone they secretly have an affection for. She says it’s not a fair system: Some people get five cards and walk around gloating, while others get nothing, and walk around feeling even more depressed.

So, on Saturday, she went to the school when she knew no one was around. She emptied the bowl. Put the cards out, and for every person who didn’t have a card, she sat and wrote one for them, ensuring that every single teacher who leaves school this coming Wednesday will feel appreciated.

“No one should feel rejected or discarded,’ ” she told me. “We’re all human beings here — we all have feelings.”