In my elementary school, Valentine’s Day was a big deal. Every kid brought a card in for every other kid in their homeroom - even if you didn’t like each other.

I remember picking out my valentines at the drug store - usually a big box of themed cards, like Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

I liked writing everyone’s name and bringing in my stack. I liked dumping them all in the Valentine’s Day Mail Box at the front of the classroom, and hearing everyone’s name read as the teacher handed them out.

I definitely liked watching the pile grow on my desk!

I don’t know that many adults who mail valentines to everyone they care about.

But shouldn’t we?

Valentine’s Day is the day Maui came into my life, so it’s special to me. I want to celebrate it with everyone I love!

But I can’t help but think about the environmental costs of mailing valentines.

(I’m a little concerned about global warming, aren’t you?)

Think about it. There’s the trees for the cards themselves.

Then there’s the gas used to deliver the valentines. And if you live somewhere far away (like Maui) it’s not trucks delivering your valentines … it’s planes!

The $.41 stamps don’t begin to cover the true costs of sending valentines.

How can I send valentines without feeling guilty?

That’s why I decided to make some valentine ecards for us dog lovers.

They won’t cost you a penny, and they won’t use any paper or gas. Just electrons to send them on their way.

I’ve hired a designer and programmers, and they should be ready any day now.

So start thinking of who you want to express love to this Valentine’s Day.

It will cost nothing for you, and will be eeeeaaaaasy on the environment, too.

Warm Aloha,

James

Bookmark to:

Thank you for all of the Valentine’s ideas you’ve been sending. I’ve heard a lot of really inspirational ideas.

Valentine’s Day is a really special day for me and my dog, Maui. On Valentine’s Day, 1993, I found Maui and knew she was my little dog right away.

Then on Valentine’s Day, 2007, I put my movie Do You Remember Love? on the internet, and all of this dog loving fun started. I can’t believe it’s been a year.

To celebrate this one year anniversary and the fifteen year anniversary of Maui’s adoption day, I asked for your ideas.

Shirley S. in Cincinnati wrote that she wanted a mug to bring to work that no one else would have.

Valerie T. in “the middle of nowhere, Kansas” wanted a tote bag.

And Jennifer in Austin wanted a journal that helped her to “remember love” after the passing of her dachshund named Duchess last November.

I thought those were great ideas. We’ve been building a CafePress.com site to design fun gifts as we come up with them. We started in early December, and there are over 100 products so far, including that cute t-shirt.

(I got one of those for Molly, who looks great in pink!)

Here’s a quick link to get you there: RememberLoveShop.com

You can save by using economy shipping option and still get your gift in time for Valentine’s Day if you place your order by 11:59 EST on Friday, February 1.

We all know that pure love is the best gift of all, but sometimes we need help in expressing it. Check out these gifts (there are many more than shown above) and see if you can find some “treats” for yourself or your loved ones.

Just ask your dog.

Warm Aloha,
James
RememberLoveShop.com

PS: Coming soon - free Valentine’s Day ecards you can use as Virtual Valentines! I have a designer working hard right now. I’ll let you know when they’re available.

Bookmark to:

It’s times like this when I’m really grateful to live on Maui.

You know what I’m talking about - the snow and extreme weather that’s happening all over. I’ve heard about LA highways turned into snowy parking lots, deer herds starving because the snow and ice is too thick for them to find food, and severe weather all over the mainland.

My friend Liane is having a hard time this winter with SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder. She lives in DC, and is really feeling the blues from lack of sunlight. I think I used to get SAD, too, when I lived in DC. The dark and cold can really get you down. Even my buddy and pet vet extraordinaire, Dr. Andrew Jones, is having trouble with the winter gloomies. This morning he shared his litany of woes, and noted that pets deal with winter in a totally different way than we do:

I am constantly amazed how Dogs and Cats always are SOO POSITIVE. Lewis could care less if it is dismal and raining, minus 20 and cloudy or a Sunny Summer day. He is LIVING in the moment and appreciating all that life gives him.

I gotta learn how to live more like my dog.

P.S. If any of you have any words of wisdom, I would LOVE to hear them.

I don’t know how wise I am, but I know Maui is VERY wise and she has one piece of advice for Dr. Andrew Jones and everyone else who is SAD this winter:

Become a Snuggle Puppy. Snuggle Puppies don’t get SAD!

Maui insists on our meditation sessions on even the brightest of Hawaiian days, but when we lived in the dark and dreary DC, she was doubly insistent. As Dr. Jones points out, our pets live in the moment, and that can make all the difference. So if you are one of the many suffering from Deep Freeze Depression, snuggle up to your pup and have a nice little meditation. Ten minutes can make all the difference - and five is better than none at all. Make this a priority this winter. You’ll really see a difference. (And your dog will love you for it!)

Warmer Aloha than Usual,

James Jacobson

Creator, Do You Remember Love?

Author, How to Meditate with Your Dog

PS: You can get Dr. Andrew Jones’ excellent free book, Healing Your Pets at Home, at his website:

www.vet-secrets-revealed.com

Download it now and snuggle up to learn how to slash your vet bills by doing some simple, at-home treatments. I love this book.

Maui Media, LLC

MauiMedia.com

Bookmark to:

I’m writing this from my hotel room in Los Angeles, so I apologize for being late in the week.

(I’m in LA on business.)

I’ve been here since Wednesday (when I usually email you) and it’s been two nights away from Maui.

Maui the dog, and also Maui the island.

It’s hard for me to sleep without them!

But Molly has figured out how to soothe Maui to sleep even when I’m not there, and I thought I’d tell you about it.

The first night I was gone, Maui cried on the edge of the bed for about ten minutes before Molly could get her to lay down.

She lay down, but she kept up little cries. It about broke Molly’s heart.

(I’m glad I didn’t know about it at the time - I was having trouble getting to sleep, too, and it would have made it even harder to know that Maui was having a hard time.)

Finally Molly took out a little vial of lavender oil and put a drop on her hand.

Lavender has a very soothing scent, and Molly sometimes uses it before bed to help her fall asleep.

Apparently, it works for Maui, too.

Molly rubbed her hands together and Maui immediately put her head down on her paws, but she kept up a little whining.

So Molly took her hand and held it about 3 inches from Maui’s nose, letting her sniff the lavender. She didn’t put her hand on Maui, just let the air fill up with the scent.

Maui started snoring in about two minutes.

Molly said it was bittersweet to see my little doggie so sad and missing me so much, but she had a hard time keeping from giggling when Maui dropped off to a deep sleep from the middle of a whine.

It’s amazing what scent can do for us - think about how the smell of a pumpkin pie or a pine tree can bring you back to wintry days at Grandma’s - but imagine if you had a dog’s sniffer what it would be like!

Maui is obviously “led by her nose.”

I know Molly uses a really high quality essential oil, but I can’t remember the name of it right now. If you want to find out more about it, just drop an email and maybe she can tell you more about it.

PS: I’m working on a couple of fun things to celebrate Valentine’s Day, our one year anniversary at “Do You Remember Love.”

I can’t wait to share! Details to come!

Bookmark to:

I have a favor to ask you, but that’s for later. First I want to tell you about a sweet experience I had this week.

I had someone come over to give me a Reiki treatment on Sunday evening.

In case you don’t know what Reiki is, it’s a very gentle (but powerful) form of energy healing. You lay down (leave all of your clothes on) and the practitioner lays their hands on you to heal you.

I had just met this person, and I didn’t know her that well. When I lay down on her massage table in my meditation room, Maui came into the room and started barking.

It was weird, because she wouldn’t stop.

Finally, the practitioner took her hands off of my head and said “I think your dog is not sure about this!”

I sat up and said “I think you’re right.”

Maui just stood there and barked once more.

The practitioner said “I don’t think she trusts me. Maybe because I’m a new person.”

“Perhaps she would feel more comfortable if she were on the table with you, kind of protecting you!”

I smiled. Maui was absolutely right. So was the healer. I was a little uncomfortable! (Just because I didn’t know her that well.)

So I picked up Maui and lay back down and put her on my chest, where she likes to snuggle.

She immediately lay down and put her head under my chin.

When the practitioner lay her hands back on my head, Maui and I BOTH started snoring.

It ended up being a really nice session, and I’ll get another one from this lady.

She liked it, too. She had never seen an animal so protective, and she loved watching Maui soak up the healing.

Maui and I both felt excellent after the healing - Maui climbed the steps much faster than usual.

It was so sweet to have her snuggle on my heart while we received this delicious energy.

At one point it felt like we were the same being.

My understanding is that “loving energy” is available to all of us, all the time.

If you want to try an experiment, meditate on the energy flow between you and your dog the next time you sit down. I think you’ll see that, like the breath, it can “match” and create a feeling of oneness.

Now, about that favor. Will you help brainstorm with me? I need your advice.

Valentine’s Day is coming up soon, and that is a special day for us. Valentine’s Day 2007 was the day I put “Do You Remember Love” on the internet, and this will be the one year anniversary.

So many people have asked me for more “things” to help us all “remember love” like the movie reminds us.

Since there are a million possibilities, I thought I would ask you, first.

What is the perfect item (physical or online) that you would like to share with your loved ones this Valentine’s Day, and what is the price point (how much would you be willing to pay)?

To tell me, please email me at james@doyourememberlove.com.

Think as big or as small as you like!

Thank you in advance for your help.

Warm Aloha,

James

Bookmark to: