Rants and Remembrances on Valentines Day...

So, I'm a little late. It's been a crazy week here. I had water in my basement 3 nights out of 7. Once was the heater, once was my washing machine and once was literally flooding from the deluge of rain we were getting. That's the way the week went, so I didn't have time, or the inclination to share my thoughts on Valentines day sooner.

Nine years ago, my husband took me for a walk on the beach. I knew something was up because he told me that he wanted to get up early and see the sun rise. (My husband is NOT an early riser, I am.) So, we woke up at 5:30 and headed for the beach. It was a beautiful morning in sunny central Florida. We walked along until we found a quiet place to spread our blanket and watch the sun rise. As the sun made it's first appearance on the horizon, my husband took my hand, got down on his knee, and asked me to be his best friend forever - his life partner. I will never forget that beautiful day.

Still, Valentines Day is not a favorite. The holiday itself seems so forced. Any other time of the year, you can get a beautiful bouquet of roses for $29.99 - $39.99. Of course on February 14th, some arbitrary date probably chosen by Hallmark, you can't touch roses for under $50, and that's cheap. I hate the obligatory card and flowers. I would rather have wild flowers, daisys, or sun flowers (my personal favorite) than roses. I would rather have a note, a love letter, a flower - just because than because someone said that February 14th is the "day for Lovers".

Part of my angst about Valentines Day is the fact that my husband is actually rarely around on that day. I think out of the 12 years we have been together, that we have made perhaps 4 Valentines Days together. That's a pretty sad commentary isn't it? It was the same this year. He missed it by a nose. He did leave notes for the girls and I, and a beautiful bouquet of daisies, but all in all, Valentines day seems to have lost that special allure.

I think that every day should be a special day to tell the ones we love how we feel about them, not just one day out of the year. It's like the song (sort of) says...." Don't save it all for Valentines day, give a little love everyday... Holidays have come and gone, but love lives on..." Take the opportunity today to tell your loved ones that you care. You'll be glad you did! I'm off to hug my daughters right now, and maybe play a game of Jenga!