|
Turtle Tales
by Carol Breidenbach
Spread a little love
4 February 2001
Our front porch is decked out with a Valentine's wreath and windsock and
the theme continues inside throughout the house. Valentine's has always
been very special to me. It is a special time to show my thankfulness for
people in my life to love and be loved by.
When I was ten years old, my mother and I were visiting my aunt and
godmother. She showed us a beautiful box of candy that my uncle had
presented her on Valentine's Day. She said that he had given her a box of
candy every Valentine's Day since they started dating.
Thirty years later when my uncle died, I remembered my aunt's story.
Knowing she didn't have any children, I send her a valentine in place of
my uncle's candy. I will never forget her gratitude at being remembered on
Valentine's Day. She said that she had been dreading the day because she
thought she wouldn't get anything that day.
That began a tradition of trying to look out for others on Valentine's Day.
One year I was crocheting hanger covers as Christmas gifts for co-workers.
I was very upset because I was running out of time and would not have them
completed by Christmas. My husband suggested that since I was using red
yarn, I give them as gifts for Valentine's. I remember how delighted they
were with that gift and it meant so much more away from the commotion of
Christmas.
Somehow Valentine gifts don't seem to put people in the position of
thinking they need to payback like Christmas gifts can. Valentine's Day
became even more special with the adoption of our youngest son, Jerome,
whose birthday fell on Valentine's Day. We always referred to him as "Our
Little Valentine". He used this title much to his advantage. I have
memories of him sitting on the "time out" chair and muttering: "Yeah yeah,
somebody is forgetting that I am their little valentine". You can imagine
the parental guilt this little chant invoked.
We had great Valentine birthdays for him in the dining room with the good
china and heart shaped cakes. One year his older siblings fashioned heart
shaped party hats for him. Sadly, Jerome was killed in an accident the
summer after his sixth birthday. That year, I really dreaded the approach
of Valentine's Day. A good friend and deacon in our church, Bob
Nighswander, suggested that we have the usual nice dinner in the dining
room and use the occasion to remember Jerome and all the love and happy
times we had with him. He also suggested that we celebrate the love that
we have in our family. It did prove to be a healing experience for all of
us and became a new family tradition.
In the years that have followed, we have continued to celebrate this love
in our family and reach out to others with the love we had for Jerome. We
bake heart-shaped cookies to share with friends, neighbors and anyone who
could use a little cheer. Valentines are sent to widows, divorced or
lonely people that might not be expecting a valentine. We have been amazed
how much people have enjoyed being remembered like this.
This Valentine's Day think about who you could remember and offer cheer to
during this beautiful season of love. The people you wanted to reach out
to at Christmas and didn't; would be a good place to start. Spread a
little love around.
| 
