I have some sweet Valentine memories …
- I first came to know February 14th as my father’s birthday, a day always celebrated with cherry pie.
- There were the decorated shoe boxes in elementary school that served as Valentine mailboxes. That and the candy conversation hearts.
- I won a nicely decorated Valentine’s Day cake in college (okay, I’ll admit it, the editor in me was bothered that the icing apostrophe was in the wrong place, but the cake was tasty).
- My first Valentine’s Day as a married woman was quite memorable. It included jewelry, flowers, chocolates, a teddy bear and dinner out.
According to Wikipedia, Valentine’s Day is the second most celebrated holiday, after New Year’s Day. Not much is known about Saint Valentine himself, but that doesn’t slow down the celebrations. Last year Americans spent over $17 billion dollars on Valentine’s Day. Who says money can’t buy love?
As nice as they are, chocolates, cards and flowers are ephemeral. What we all really need is the love of a good friend, spouse or partner. The kind of love that calls to make sure everything is okay when problems exist. The kind of love that drops off chicken soup when you’re sick. The kind of love that offers a back rub after a long day. The kind of love that laughs … and cries … with you. That’s the kind of sweet Valentine memory I wish for us all.
This is adapted from a blog post, “Beyond chocolates, cards and flowers,” written by Linda Post Bushkofsky, that was published on the Women of the ELCA blog on February 14, 2013.