Day 921 True gifts

 

A dozen roses on Valentine's Day and a heart-shaped box of chocolates—tokens of love from my love. I didn’t expect gifts, but then again, aren’t the best gifts always the unexpected ones?

Having just returned from a fabulous vacation and enjoyed a wonderful date night on Valentine's Eve, I thought the gift-giving part of the holiday was covered. Apparently, Tim likes me just as much as I adore him. He must, having found time in his day to shop for me.

Valentine's Day has always been a bit of a skewed holiday in my mind, and I'll blame that on my dad. I’ve written about this before, but it’s worth mentioning again: I was raised to believe that only girls received gifts on Valentine’s Day. That’s just how it was in our house. My mother, sister, and I would each receive a box of chocolates from my dad, while my brothers got nothing. Don’t feel too badly for the boys, though—they were taken out of school to visit Fenway Park and watch baseball games, while my sister and I were never invited to the sports events. By today’s standards, my parents would probably be seen as incredibly sexist, but that was just the way it was. And, as a chocolate lover, I didn’t mind it at all—it worked out for me.

Ironically, neither of my brothers ever played traditional sports; both were obsessed with mountain and rock climbing. So much for early exposure to baseball! As for me, I continue to love chocolate and do my best not to skip a day without indulging in a small morsel or two.

My roses this year smell wonderful and brighten up my kitchen table. The thought of Tim stopping on his way home to pick them out for me makes me smile. Time and effort are the true gifts here, and neither of those are lost on me.

In other news, I may have found this year’s Derby dress... and it's fabulous! I know it's months away, but I might need that time to find the perfect hat to go with my stunning new wardrobe addition. I had originally planned on a rose-themed outfit this year, but with my new plans, it looks like I’ll be going in a different direction. The roses will have to stay in my February dreams of love, happiness, and my very special Valentine.