Valentine's Day 2012

After getting my coffee this morning I walked bleary-eyed into my room. After my son flew out of the nest and took up residence in his first apartment, my husband painted the trashed, vacated bedroom, and replaced the nasty old carpet. This became my space. My office, I suppose. I'm just most comfortable calling it my room. But, I digress . . .

When I flipped the wall switch, turning on the light in my room, I saw sitting on my chair, a beautiful red envelope. On it, my husband had written, "To Chelly, My Valentine." It was a lovely card with just the right amount of sentiment and a perfectly written note from the man himself. And I was satisfied he had honored the day. You see, we aren't extravagant when it comes to Valentine's Day. It's not that we're not romantic; we are. But we're also practical. He gave me a card and I bought him a $1 carnation from a student with autism, whose class was selling them as a fundraiser at the school where I teach. I thought we were good.

Then this afternoon, out of the blue, my dear hubby sent me an email to tell me that he was going to buy us sandwiches at Quiznos for dinner, and later this evening he planned to rub my feet with lotion. When my son checked in with me via email this afternoon and asked if Dad had remembered Valentine's Day, I assured him he had. I went on to tell him about my gifts. Son's response: "You guys are dorks."

I suppose we are dorks, but it is not lost on me that Honey went above and beyond for me. He knows how much I enjoy Quiznos, and the fact that he bought them was a double gift. I neither had to cook, nor clean up afterward. And there is almost nothing I enjoy more than having my feet massaged with lotion. I have been rubbed into a stupor in the past. That is how relaxing and enjoyable foot massages are for me.

You can keep your flowers; they will wilt within a few days anyway. Save the chocolates; eating too many gives me heartburn. Don't need to go out to dinner and fight crowds and spend wads of money. My husband and dearest friend knows how to say "I love you" in the ways that count. Oh, and he liked his pretty red carnation too.


Happy Valentine's Day!