I think it is a silly, Hallmark Holiday that leaves men feeling as if they did something wrong and women as if they were forgotten. I feel like it's a holiday that forces you to spend money on things that are going to die or sweets that will get eaten and then make the one who consumed them feel guilty.
My husband and I don't celebrate it. I made him promise me years ago that he wouldn't acknowledge it in any way. He can buy jewelry any other time. He knows I don't require a special day in order to receive jewelry but I am starting to wonder when he thinks a good time to open a little bling would be. It has seemed that he has forgotten that any day is a good day for some sparkle.
We are both really happy when that day comes around because neither one of us is disappointed by not having our expectations met.
So for years now, we have not acknowledged this Day of Love.
A couple of days ago, I walked to the mailbox and retrieved our mail and started sifting through it on my way back to our house. Usually our mail is made up of a collection of bills and junk mail. On this particular day, there were two envelopes that were neither bills or junk mail. Two!
I got really excited. I am not ashamed to admit that I still get all giddy when I receive fun mail in the mail.
One of the envelopes held the contents of a birthday party invitation. This excited me because who doesn't like getting invited to a birthday party? It is for a little boy's party but still, its fun mail!
The other envelope had me stumped because it was labeled 'Mom' with no return address. The envelope was fat too. I was stumped. I could not figure out who had sent this and I couldn't identify the handwriting. I opened this one last. I like suspicion and I wanted to postpone the big reveal as long as I could. And I needed a few more minutes to do my detective work. I started thinking of all the sweet things my husband and daughter planned behind my back when I was busy being all domestic.
I finally opened the envelope and this is what fell out.
And then, the detective in me figured it all out. This was from my daughter! Clue number one being that her name was on the back, clue number two being that it had a lot of stickers on it and clue number three being that red was the primary choice of color used (that's her favorite "of all the colors"). Because I'm such a great detective, I concluded that she made it at preschool and the unidentified handwriting on the envelope was her Preschool Teachers. It's hard to pull the wool over my eyes, I'm telling you.
I was touched. And I had a huge, goofy school-girl-who-had-just-been-kissed-by-her-crush smile on my face after that.
When she saw the heart she told me with much excitement that she made it for me and then she told me that she loved me.
For the first time in years, I am thrilled to have received a Valentine. I have to admit, it was much better than receiving jewelry but please don't tell that to my husband.
I hope she grows to know just how much of my heart is captured by her.
Stephanie
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