As Valentine’s Day approached, Facebook picked up an appropriate memory from four years ago. The two youngest grandchildren lived in DC at the time and loved crafting with colored Styrofoam shapes. They had a huge project of making designs with Valentine hearts. My daughter-in-law suggested that they share the wealth with relatives and friends, but they insisted all the valentines were for Grandma and Grandpa. She packed them all in a box and sent them South.
The plan wound up with a glitch when I made no comment about receiving this surprise, and she finally texted to see if I had gotten a package. After some thought, it came to me to check the front door – which only salespeople ever used. There was a delivered box just waiting to be opened. Now, what to do with all this treasure? That was easier. It covered the cabinets behind the stove in my kitchen and brought smiles every time I looked up. Little did I dream that those two boys would be living next door in four years.
Looking at this memory that Facebook dredged up got me to thinking about how my Valentine’s celebrations and memories so often connect with children. Most of my teaching career happened on or near a military post with all the children getting their packages of assorted valentines at the PX. It was one of the biggest events of the year to second-graders. We decorated sacks for holding their cards, but they had to wait until the last hour before they went home to distribute. What a long day it was for them as they occasionally pulled their stash for delivery from their desks to give a quick peek without actually breaking the rule. What fun they had that last hour, sticking their “mail” in the sacks as they went from desk to desk!
The real fun came as they went through their own sacks seeing which special valentine had been selected just for them – never seeming to take any notice that it was just like the ones they had carefully selected for each friend the night before.
In addition to children, my real valentine is not bad either. I have just made a mess in the kitchen while baking cookies for an event tomorrow. Knowing I was itching to get back to my writing, he wandered in as I finished and said, “Go on and get started. I’ll clean this up.” Trust me – better than flowers and candy!
Happy Valentine’s Day to all my blog readers!