Being a hopeless romantic from a very young age, Valentine's Day always disappointed me a bit. Of course, expecting a handsome knight on a white charger to show up at my doorstep at age 11 was probably a tall order, but I could dream, right?
During elementary school, you brought Valentine's cards for everyone in the class. It was always fun to see if that month's crush had given me a special one or if there was some subliminal message on the card he gave me. "He-Man wishes you a Happy Valentine's Day!" Yeah...not much thought put into that choice.
Middle school and high school weren't much better. You could send a flower gram or a candy gram to someone else in the school. I'd secretly hope to get one from the boy I liked or perhaps a handsome boy I had yet to meet. I think I got one from a friend once and maybe once from Tony or Angelyn, but alas, never the imagined dozen roses from a secret admirer.
But through all the disappointments of imagined lovers that never declared their undying love, my Valentine's Days were never a complete flop. Mom always saw to that. Each year, she'd make a special dinner and decorate the table all nice. And we had chocolates and sometimes a special little gift or keepsake placed lovingly by our plates. Over the years, Valentine's Day evolved into more of a family holiday for me. Though she may never have realized it, Mom was a wonder at soothing my rumpled romantic spirit.
For now I don't have to worry about dealing with my kids' romantic escapades- we're quite a few years away from that yet. Unless, of course, Esther decides to take after me and it looks like she may. But I'll know what to do when she comes home from school crushed that Prince Charming didn't show up. I'll don my apron and start cooking.
Happy Valentine's Day!
1 comment:
Oh how I know your story! Poor Mark. Never quite understood. So the year he came home with a very generic lamp as his Valentine gift... let's just say we've had better moments in our marriage. :)
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