Meeting. Falling in love. And figuring out the rest.

Love stories come in all sorts of shapes and sizes — with sunny, funny, messy and magical moments.

Since our Valentine’s products have just landed in our warehouse, I’d like to talk about love. There are so many great love stories out there… from Love Actually (IMHO, also the greatest Christmas movie) to Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version, hands down) to Up (please don’t judge me, it’s that opening sequence!) and so many more that I am ashamed to admit. But there is one special love story that is the story behind our Valentine’s dove.

When Jacques first met the woman that would become his wife, he was living in the Netherlands. He met a beautiful woman, an American exchange student, who was studying abroad in Spain. The story he shared with me was that he met her at a nightclub, the hottest spot in town, with a wall of white doves. And though I’m conjuring such a magical image of a wall of white doves, I know it was much more that had captivated him. Jacques was smitten. “On his way” to accept a job offer running a restaurant in some fancy hotel restaurant/bakery in the Caribbean, he decided to stop and visit this exchange student in California after she had returned home. When he got off the plane in San Francisco and boarded a bus bound for Eureka, he admitted that he had no idea what he was in for. Obviously, he never made it to Aruba to accept that job offer. Our choice of the white dove for our Valentine’s hidden element is an homage to the founder’s love story, what drew him to America, and the family that made him stay and create Sjaak’s Organic Chocolates.

Whether meeting through mutual friends at a birthday party, college sweethearts that graduate into life partners, or online connections that spark into more — people’s love stories are as diverse as people themselves.

And really, the love story is exactly that. It’s the story of it. There is character development and of course, conflict. It’s not the magical finale wedding (although Crazy Rich Asians did have a really magical wedding scene), it’s the long, steady journey before and after. It’s the everyday, the simple, the normal. There are uphill moments and easy downhill strolls. Pretty scenic routes by a glistening bay, and also rough trails through tall, dry brush. It’s the fun and exciting moments, but also the quiet, peaceful ones.

Love comes in all shapes and sizes. It can be heart-melting and romantic, but it is also as sweet and familial as a bear hug. It’s amongst friends, family, and other humans and animals that we share this Earth with. This Valentine’s Day, we celebrate all those connections and moments. And hey, even better, let’s celebrate our journey together with Sjaakolates.