Fifty Years (or so) of Valentine's

Valentine’s Day.  I think I have celebrated, fifty or so Valentine’s Days, all with the very same Valentine.  Some of you might disagree but I think Valentine’s Day is a holiday made up of florists, chocolatiers, diamond merchants, and, possibly car salesmen. 

They start prepping kids for Valentine’s Day in elementary school.  As I remember, sometime in late January elementary art lessons involved making handmade Valentine’s cards for your classmates.  In the rich schools, and, if your parents had money, you could buy a Valentine’s Day card for everyone in your class.  This is where it all starts.

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It was school rules, you gave a card to every kid, even the chubby ones, the ones with glasses, the kids that picked their noses, the kids that copied off your papers, even the bullies.  Every kid received a card saying how much you loved them.

By the time you were in junior high, you were no longer required to give everyone a Valentine, and you were allowed to pick one special person, to send a Valentine to.  For most, that person changed every year.

If I sound bitter, I’m not.  I’ve played the Valentine’s game.  I just made up my own rules.  I have had the same Valentine for the last fifty years.  I am aware of people that change Valentines every five, ten, you get the picture.  Me, I found mine and never changed.

What did change, was the celebration of the day.  The full disclosure is that not all of our Valentine's Days were celebrated.  Many of them were spent apart with me working away from home.

Elaine wasn’t/isn’t much for flowers (they just die and dry up), chocolates (would rather have Skittles), jewelry (I have enough and it’s too expensive), and cars (why?).  When we were younger it was easy to pick out an appropriate gift.  She wanted yarn.  And then we messed that up.  We started a yarn store.  If she wanted yarn, she could take it off the shelf.  Don’t tell the IRS.

We have just forgone the gifts these last few years and I cook a special occasion dinner.  But not this Valentine’s Day.  I gave Elaine THE gift I am most proud of in the last fifty years.  I bought and gave Elaine a tire.  Not just any tire, a driver’s side, rear tire for her car.  It was thoughtful and necessary.  It was timely, (hers was flat), it was gift she had never received before.  It had the smell of love.  I am so proud.

God Bless, Love ya, (not a phony Valentine’s love) stay safe.

Our crazy lives!

Monner