Whether it was a little heart chocolate and a note, in my lunch box, stating how much I was loved, or, a whole collection of little gifts on my pillow when I came home from school, I was glad I said yes.
One of my fondest memories from when I was a young boy was my Mother asking me to be her valentine. I asked her what this meant and she said that, on February 14th, we pick someone and show them how much we love them by doing special things for them. Like making a card or drawing a picture. I was excited and said yes straight away.
The years that followed were amazing. I would bring home a card that I made, or something like that, and she would have a little vanilla coloured, shaggy haired toy pound puppy, with a red bow that she would’ve tied into the fur herself, and some little chocolates as well as a note. The amount of little cute, furry animals, toys of course, that I accrued over the years is quite sizable. One of my favourites is Rufus, he’s a pound puppy I received about ten years ago. He still lives with me to this day.
Her gifts were amazing and always made me feel so special but the note was the treasure. There was always a note. Always an inscription stating how much value I carried and 9 times out of 10 it was a hand made card that she had spent time making, for me. Every single one that she made had so much love infused into it that I knew I was loved before I even read the beautifully thought out words that she had laid down. She would right about our lives, my life. About the beauty that she saw in me and the man that I was becoming. About how this gave her immense joy and satisfaction. But more than all this was the simple fact that I knew she wasn’t just spouting niceties, she actually believed what she was saying. Even when my life was falling apart, she would turn it into an opportunity to start afresh. So graceful.
The presents, trips to fun places, words of encouragement, this was my very first valentine. A woman who would show me how much I meant to her and relish the fact that she had the opportunity to.
I’m glad I said yes.
Enough Of The Night 