Friday Photo: Family in Pinar del Rio

Valentine’s Day is coming up next week. I’m sure I don’t have to tell anyone this since retailers have had merchandise out since the day after Christmas, and advertisers have been reminding everyone to buy the requisite flowers and candy or risk committing romantic relationship suicide.

This holiday is great if you have a significant other, but for anyone who doesn’t fall into this category, it can amplify the feelings of being alone. I consider myself lucky to be in a good relationship, but I have friends who have recently or are in the process of breaking up and others who have never really had a good experience in this regard.

Today’s featured photo is a response to this sentiment, and a recognition that there are many types of love to be celebrated, not just the romantic kind that is so commercially hyped this time of year. Especially for those currently without a significant other, Valentine’s Day can sometimes makes us loose sight of the fact that we are never alone as long as we have family and friends in our lives.

This image was captured while traveling in Pinar del Rio, Cuba during New Years Eve 2010. I met this wonderful family who spent time talking with me (and even offered me some of their feast, a roasting pig). The girl pictured here lives in Florida, but is occasionally able to visit her family and bring them necessities from the U.S. I like this photo because it shows the genuine warmth and affection between the two family members who are basking in the moment of enjoying each others’ company, even if for only a short time.