Valentine's Day

It is Valentine's Day. I did not like Valentine's day when I was younger. As in, all 24 years before I was married. In fact, I thought it sucked. I was always hopeful. Hopeful that somewhere out there I might have a secret admirer that would surprise me with roses and poetry and all things romantic. It did not happen. Except for my sophomore year in high school. I had a friend named Charlie. We had been friends all through junior high, an unlikely friendship. We did not run with the same crowd. He was a stoner and I was not. He hung out in the smoking section during breaks and ate lunch at Round Table pizza while Guns n roses blared in the backgrounds. His girlfriend Jackie threatened to beat me up in seventh grade. It was all over the school, whispers and drama. The actual event was a little disappointing. She didn't even get to the hair pulling. Just finger pointing and some veiled threats. It struck me as funny, even then. The thought that I actually "liked" Charlie was funny. The thought that his girlfriend wanted to beat me up over it was even funnier. Charlie and I stayed friends beyond the seventh grade, he and Jackie did not. My sophomore year in high school we had math together. He knew of my aversion for Valentine's Day. We even joked about it that day amidst the sea of red and pink shmaltz that filled the halls. The day was almost over. And then my name came across the speaker, the last 5 minutes of school. "Erin Bowman, please come to the office." And there they were, 18 beautiful red roses. The card was from Charlie. I can't remember what it said now. But I remember how I felt. I wanted to kiss Charlie. Not because I loved him but because I loved him. He made me feel special in a way that was so much better than all the sappy that I had been hoping for all those Valentines Days past. I walked through the halls beaming. I came home beaming. I still have those rose petals in a vase. That was a good Valentine's day.

Today was too. I helped with Owen's class party. I love Kindergartners. They are still so sweet and silly. Then we picked Paige up and got take out from Cafe Rio. We came home and had a picnic in the basement and watched Night at the Museum. They thought it was so fun. Then I actually cleaned our bedroom. It has been one big cluttery mess for too long. And now it is not. Isn't that the ideal valentines present? Then I got out all of the Valentine's loot I bought for everyone and waxed nostalgic as I wrote on each card. Love notes are a wonderful thing. It makes you think of all the things you love about a person. I have a hard time limiting it to a few sentences. How do you sum up your feelings for someone in such a short space. How do you say, "you are the reason I breathe, my very happiness" and make it sound like it should, feel like it should? I don't know. But I do like to try. And Valentines day is the perfect reason to try. So I tell my children how much I love them, why I love them. I tell my husband what he means to me. And then we all eat chocolate. And that makes for a very good valentines day.