But I can't. None of them ever happend.
Truthfully, Valentine's Day has never been really big for me. Peter is the only boyfriend I ever had and even then, we were married and poor by the time Valentine's Day came around. Even my parents never made it a big deal. Their anniversary was only a few days before Heart Day and so they just sort of smooshed the two things together at our house. I never minded much. I'm afraid I was one of those people who refered to it as "Singles Awareness Day."
But one of the things that I remember happening every year is mom making heart shaped cookies that she painstakingly decorated with pink and white frosting and red hots. I never cared much for the red hots, but she made fantastic sugar cookies. When I was younger she would bring the cookies into my class at school and I loved it. As I got older, she stopped bringing them to school, ("Are you kidding, mom?!?! Bring them to my school?!?! How embarrassing!), but she always had them out on the counter so we could eat them when we came home from school.
Today is Mom and Dad's anniversary. Because it's so close to Valentine's Day, dad would usually buy mom some really nice flowers that would last at least a week and count them for both occasions. (I told you that it was never that big of a deal.) But now, the anniversary dates are special. My dad died only 5 days before their 30th anniversary after a quick bout with cancer. Now, today (the 7th) and on Valentine's Day, it's all about my mom. I want to make sure that the day for her is special, just like it always was. This is now what Valentine's Day reminds me of: That the love we have for each other never stops just because people pass on to the next world. Every day is a blessing with those we love!
Happy Anniversary Mom (and Dad!)
6 comments:
Ok, I was starting to think you were one of THOSE girls that loved v-day because you were so popular. Thanks for clearing it up.
V-day has always been a "family day" for me. Growing up my parents never really went out so it's the same for us. V-day is spent with our family and kids, we are all together sharing valentines, candy, small gifts and most importantly: TIME!
I loved this. Just the reminder I needed today.
Wow! That story went a totally different direction than I thought it was going. You are a very good writer. And this was a really great post! Thanks for the reminder to cherish those we love! Oh, and when I linked to you on my page, I was putting everyone's names next to their blog pages and I realized that I'm not really sure if your real name is Holly or not. So I called yours (Holly?) I hope that you are not offended by that. I hate to ask if you don't want to tell but I also hate to assume and be wrong. Sorry!
mom2my6kids...I decided to make it a challenge to see how long I could really stay anonymous. It's actually hard because I have to be careful about how I word things...Holly with a ? is just great until I spill the beans!!
Great post! I'm sorry I didn't get over here to comment until now, after the drawing is already over,... I'm pathetic, I know. My little Baby Boy fell down our flight of stairs yesterday, and I've been an emotional mess ever since, I'm afraid.
But I did put your name in the drawing, though I'm sorry you didn't win. I wanted just about everyone to win! But that would have broke my bank... :S
But I really appreciate your taking the time to write something particular.
Valentine's Day is kindof a blah holiday for me. I was hoping to live vicariously through others' memories and favorites of Valentines.
I really appreciate your story and life lesson. :) Thanks so much for sharing it.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts... puts a new perspective on the holiday!
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