Ghosts of Valentine's Days Past

There has always been something magical about Valentine's Day for me. Not sure why...guess I'm just a hopeless romantic. Even as a child, I loved Valentine's Day...

 
I was the kid who would volunteer to decorate the classroom spending days meticulously cutting out construction paper hearts and stringing them together.  My valentine-adorned shoe box was always the one a little over the top - decorated with hope of puppy-love to come. It was so exciting to open your box of cards and candy in nervous anticipation of that special "one". I can still feel that special little tingle in my heart when I think of those special memories. Many a sweet childhood romances stemmed from those little classroom valentine's boxes!

As an adult, Valentine's Day was a little more complicated.  I remember my first VD with my ex-husband.  We had not known each other long, but, being the hopeless romantic, I had envisioned an evening of celebration with hearts, flowers and romance.

I took the day off from work so that I could put together a guy goodie basket, primp and prepare a fabulous dinner. He had also gone to a lot of trouble to make me a special gift for the day. I can still remember how my heart raced as I ripped open the pink tissue paper...and there it was, a pink t-shirt with "Valentine's Day Is For Wimps" and his name embroidered in two inch letters across the chest. He was so pleased and I was crushed. 

What an a-hole (sorry but I can't think of a nice way to put that). Strangely , I married the guy anyway...go figure? I never wore the shirt and charged something special for myself on his card every Valentine's Day after that.

I never lost hope in the magic of Valentine's Day. But now the little tingle in my heart comes from other sources. It's the homemade paper heart with a picture of mommy that is proudly displayed on my fridge and the clay heart with Sweetpea's name carved on the bottom where I keep my paperclips. It's the memory of my mom and dad and the love they discovered for each other late in their lives that kept a sparkle in their eyes until they left us.

There is the faith I have for Sweetpea to find a good man (learn from mommy's mistakes ) and her family to come when she grows up and is ready. And somewhere deep inside there is a tiny glimmer of hope that my valentine is still tucked away in someone else's heart...Happy Valentine's Day my dear friends.  May this day be filled with the magic of hope, love and peace.

Never stop dreaming!

Love,
Miss Fanny