Valentine's Day

As a whole, I do not much care for Valentine's Day.

There, I said it.

This is why....

If you need to show how much you love someone on just one day of the year

you have serious problems.

I did not realize just how passionately people either hate or love Valentine's Day till I was browsing Twitter and Facebook today. Wow.

But don't get me wrong, I may not be overly crazy about Valentine's Day but far be it from me to neglect a day set aside just to remind everyone in my family that I love them dearly! I made - okay, I attempted to make - heart shaped pancakes for the boys this morning. Completely loaded in chocolate chips.

Isaac informed me that they were good but not great but he liked them because he knew I made them with joy in my heart. Seriously, that is what he said.

And all the boys in my family get a little heart filled with chocolates because they get such a thrill over that.

That's it.

The day has a special feel to it, I won't deny it, but it's not my favorite day of the year. And I always feel bad for my husband if he tries to stress over it at all. Cuz he should know by now, he is my gift

every

single

day.

Along with all my boys' hugs and kisses and cuddles.

A friend of mine, who has known me since before I was even a thought and has been married longer than I have been alive, wrote this today...

Since today is Valentine's Day, what is your best marriage advice? here's mine~ just be friends, Quit worrying about the roles, rules, and expectations and work on friendship.

I find that perfectly said. (thanks Nancy Hopkins!)

I was talking to Jake last night and told him when I think of Valentine's Day there are two memories that make me love the holiday....

One is my mom. Every year (I guarantee if I show up at my parents house today, it will be there for me) my mom bakes these huge valentine cookies for us. She frosts them in white frosting and writes our names in cursive in red.

The cursive always made them more special. Because before I knew how to write in cursive, I knew that it was fancy writing on a fancy cookie that was just for me.

And that said love to me.

I make those same cookies for my boys now. I let them frost them and decorate them. But I do not ever write their names in cursive on them. I save that for my mom, it's her special gift to all of us.

My other most prominent, brings me to tears every single time I recall it, memory of Valentine's Day involves my Dad.

I am the firstborn, the guinea pig (I know, S1 is OUR guinea pig!) of the family. My Dad, in a regular stroke of genius, seen the writing on the wall and realized I was growing up way to fast and stepped in to fully make me feel special before some man came along and stole his daughter away for forever.

Highschool was not pleasant for me. I transported there from a teeny tiny Christian school and never did I feel I belonged. I hated Sweetest Day and Valentine's Day where everyone bought carnations for their special someone and had them delivered during class. I think it's why I still hate carnations - though I should get over that now.

They would wheel the squeaky cart into the class and call out names of all these popular girls and guys who would get oodles of carnations. And I never got one.

Not that I thought I would, but I would still listen just in case.

And my sophomore year, my name was called on Valentine's Day. And it wasn't any awful carnations. It was roses.

Real, live, beautiful, intoxicating roses.

The card read "From the guy who loved you".

This, of course, stumped me. Someone loved me and didn't? Someone loved me and I messed that up? Who would love me?

I called my mom on the pay phone in the hallway at school and rattled the story off, still drinking in the scent of the roses, the pure beauty of them in the dark, cold brick hallway. She was stumped too.

My Dad hadn't told her that he had sent them to me.

And when I got home from school, he told me that the card was supposed to read "From the guy who loved you FIRST".

That I would have gotten.

To this day, I cannot recall this story without tears forming in my eyes. My Dad made me feel like the most precious girl in that whole school - heck, in the whole county.

I adore my Dad. It's my mom I talk to all the time and see for coffee and text back and forth too. It's my Dad I hardly ever get a chance to talk to...but I love him. And I am reminded how much he loves me every single Valentine's Day when I think back to this story.

And I thought I'd just share it all with you.

Because it's the little things - the little EVERY DAY things - that show someone you love them. Every day you can find something to make the day special...365 days of love.

It's what made these moments so special to me.

Try it on your family, rain love on them. It makes every day Valentine's Day......