Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day working as a teacher can be painful (competition, grief, tears). We eschewed it for Random Acts of Kindess week. I taped students singing, reading their own work or reciting their own poems. My JKs even recorded love message for mommy and daddy. Those were the good years!

I remember my worst Valentine's Day ever. One can only laugh years later!

A single mom, I had ordered in some wood to supplement the expensive electric heat in my rental house in Manotick. It had been delivered on a cold February 14th afternoon, covered in dirt and snow and ice. Home after work, my daughter and I stacked as much as we could. We broke for dinner. In the dark, I went back out to slog away some more, the kids went to bed. Eventually, my boyfriend of the time came over. Between husbands, I had learned to take the celebration for granted. Boyfriend came over while I was out in the cold and the dark stacking wood. He thrust a bouqet of roses in my hands, there might have been a card, I do not remember! Then, he left me to stack my wood - alone, in the cold and the dark. I was furious!

We look on the day with a bit more realism in our old age, me and my second accountant husband. I did get a lovely bouquet of flowers, which is simply a bonus. We exchanged cards; the cats even found him (AKA, Dr. Dolittle) a card! We chose to forego a dinner out: 35 km to the next town with an open restaurant.

It is a beautiful day, is it not? The sun rises on the horizon. The cats get antsy as they watch their tree rats scurrying about their deck searching for food. The cats love their walks on the dock. They roll around on their backs on the cement pad at the end. They play hide and seek with each other as they squeeze under the dock.

What a beautiful day. How glorious to embrace daily rituals: breakfast coffee, reading the paper.

There is pleasure and joy in the simple things. We sat out on our bench in the afternoon sunshine. The birds were busy, cats were happy playing.

We anticipate spring, as the melting snow melts the lake at the shoreline. The warmth of the sun warms the soul, through to your marrow.

Life is good.
We're all worthy.
We each have value.
We are all perfect.
We are all allowed to make mistakes.
God don't make no junk.

Remember, somebody out there loves you.