I love Valentine's Day . . .

. . . just like I love every other day (or try to at least). I love this day, not for the wonderful surprises one might expect, but simply for the opportunity to set apart a day for LOVE. It's a great thing when you stop to think about it. I know, every day ought to be about love, but there's just a different feeling when everyone thinks about it at the same time, all day long.

We don't get worked up at our house about big gifts, or gifts at all for that matter. I like to buy my children a t-shirt they can wear on this day, and I usually find a book for each of them, but not much beyond that. The real gift is watching my children make their own valentines for their classmates. I was so excited to watch #2 write his whole name on each heart, about 25 times, and he actually seemed to be enjoying himself. That's a gift in and of itself. I loved watching #1 heft her bag home and feel grateful that there's a new rule in school, bring a valentine for each child in the class, so it's not a popularity contest like I remember this day as a child. There are only 15 children in her class, so it's not like there's a much room for a contest, but still.

I hate the way this day has turned into a frenzy. Buy these roses, chocolates (my goodness, the lines in the chocolate shops today was unreal!!), pjs, "to show that special someone you really care." My husband left for work before I woke up this morning, and is still there at 9:53pm. We took him dinner (a heart shaped pizza with heart pepperoni, salad and cupcake), and maybe I'll see him before I fall asleep, but if I don't, I'm confident in his love for me. I don't need a day dictated by whomever to tell me I'm loved, I already know that.

But I've come a long way.
It was Valentine's day eleven years ago when my husband, then, an acquaintance in the apartment complex, called to ask me out. Well, at this time, there was a popular book called The Rules out which dictated the rules of dating. It was all a big game with rules like: if you didn't get asked out by Wednesday for that Friday, you're busy (that's what you would tell said guy), even if you were going to sit home by yourself. So he called, and my best friend/roommate told him I was busy (because it was Valentine's day and I should have been busy) and we proceeded to do absolutely nothing. It was a horrible day because I couldn't grasp these so-called rules, like I'm sure many teenage & twenty-something guys and girls who get so let down on days like this. Darn those marketers who convince the general population that this day is a big deal, and you better go all out, and if you don't, you're a loser.

How about enjoying what you have and who you have to spend it with, huh? Isn't that enough?

That's Rule #1 in my book.