A Valentine of Love
A Valentine of Love
Valentine’s Day of 1990 will be a day that I will always remember with love. Often, we forget the true meaning of the heart because we are so busy with our daily life. That year I found myself a single mother of two darling girls, Gina age seven and Julie age five. My husband of nine years had left us just after Christmas. With no one around to help me raise the girls, the entire burden was on me, and I felt defeated. Money was tight, and I was working two jobs just to make ends meet. Most of the time there was no money left over for extra things like movies, dinners out, or trips to the zoo.
Pulling the car into the driveway that evening, I was pleased to see my mother was already there dropping off my girls. I took in a deep breath and let it out. I knew that my evening had just begun because I still had to help with homework, and there were baths to give, dinner to prepare, laundry, and bedtime for the girls. I knew that this night would be no exception to all of the other nights that I had stayed up late trying to get caught up on paying bills and doing household chores. Right at the moment I was feeling lost, lonely, and afraid, but most of all I was feeling very unloved.
Walking through the door, I set down my purse and coat as my two daughters came bouncing out of their bedroom. Jumping up and down I could see that they were excited about something.
“Guess what Mommy?” Gina yelled. “Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day!”
“What are we going to do to celebrate?” Julie asked with a gleam in her eye.
“Last year you took us to McDonalds for dinner,” Gina exclaimed.
I sat down on the couch and put my head in my hands as the tears began to fall down my cheeks. I had no money, and I did not get them a single thing. Not cards, candy, not even a flower to show them how much I loved them. All of the past Valentine’s Days I had always made it special but this year I had no money, and this Valentine’s Day was going to be different. They just looked at me because I did not cry in front of them ever. They both said nothing but they turned slowly and walked back into their room.
After dinner and baths I tucked my two darling daughters into bed, I helped them pray their prayers, and kissed them goodnight. I gave them one last hug and turned out the lights. As I walked out of their bedroom, I knew that I had to think of something to brighten their Valentine’s Day. As I walked back into the kitchen and looked around, I opened the cupboards to see what I had inside. I grabbed out cookbooks, frosting, rice cereal, marshmallows, and all of the bits and pieces of candy I could find. I might not have any money this year, but I did have lots of determination and a whole lot of love for them both. I baked and did crafts well into the late evening, and finally at 2:30am I fell into bed.
The next morning, I woke my little angels up at 7:00 to get them ready for school.
“What smells so good, mommy?” Asked Julie.
“It smells like cake, “Gina said to Julie.
When they raced into the kitchen, their eyes widened as they scanned over red heart-shaped cakes, pink heart-shaped rice crispy treats, and Valentine’s Day cards made of cardboard and markers. They spent the next few moments dipping their little fingers in the frosting and taking small bites of the savory goodies that I had baked the night before.
“Tonight we will have a party,” I told them. “However, now it is time to get ready for school.”
“Oh, Mommy!” said Gina with tears in her eyes. The cakes are so beautiful.
“We love them and they taste really good,” cried Julie.
I sat down and held them both in my arms. I told them how lucky I was to have them and just how much I loved them both. I told them I was sorry that I had no money to buy them nice things such as a heart-box filled with candy or a card. I explained to them that all I had to give was my own heart which was filled with more love than any gift could ever reveal.
Gina looked up at me with tears rolling down her small face and said, “It is alright mommy, we don’t need a heart-shaped box, or a card from the store. All we need is you and we have that.”
That night after dinner the three of us had a party. We ate cake and rice crispy treats. We danced and laughed in our living room for an hour past their bed time. As we partied I suddenly no longer felt defeated, lost, lonely, or sad. What I did find was a new power within myself and a new strength that comes from the gift of unconditional love. I then realized just thankful I was for the two precious girls I held onto each and every night. From that night on I learned to count my blessings, and to be grateful for all the small things in my life. The most important lesson I learned was that I felt loved, so very loved.
Valentine’s Day of 1990 will be a day that I will always remember with love. Often, we forget the true meaning of the heart because we are so busy with our daily life. That year I found myself a single mother of two darling girls, Gina age seven and Julie age five. My husband of nine years had left us just after Christmas. With no one around to help me raise the girls, the entire burden was on me, and I felt defeated. Money was tight, and I was working two jobs just to make ends meet. Most of the time there was no money left over for extra things like movies, dinners out, or trips to the zoo.
Pulling the car into the driveway that evening, I was pleased to see my mother was already there dropping off my girls. I took in a deep breath and let it out. I knew that my evening had just begun because I still had to help with homework, and there were baths to give, dinner to prepare, laundry, and bedtime for the girls. I knew that this night would be no exception to all of the other nights that I had stayed up late trying to get caught up on paying bills and doing household chores. Right at the moment I was feeling lost, lonely, and afraid, but most of all I was feeling very unloved.
Walking through the door, I set down my purse and coat as my two daughters came bouncing out of their bedroom. Jumping up and down I could see that they were excited about something.
“Guess what Mommy?” Gina yelled. “Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day!”
“What are we going to do to celebrate?” Julie asked with a gleam in her eye.
“Last year you took us to McDonalds for dinner,” Gina exclaimed.
I sat down on the couch and put my head in my hands as the tears began to fall down my cheeks. I had no money, and I did not get them a single thing. Not cards, candy, not even a flower to show them how much I loved them. All of the past Valentine’s Days I had always made it special but this year I had no money, and this Valentine’s Day was going to be different. They just looked at me because I did not cry in front of them ever. They both said nothing but they turned slowly and walked back into their room.
After dinner and baths I tucked my two darling daughters into bed, I helped them pray their prayers, and kissed them goodnight. I gave them one last hug and turned out the lights. As I walked out of their bedroom, I knew that I had to think of something to brighten their Valentine’s Day. As I walked back into the kitchen and looked around, I opened the cupboards to see what I had inside. I grabbed out cookbooks, frosting, rice cereal, marshmallows, and all of the bits and pieces of candy I could find. I might not have any money this year, but I did have lots of determination and a whole lot of love for them both. I baked and did crafts well into the late evening, and finally at 2:30am I fell into bed.
The next morning, I woke my little angels up at 7:00 to get them ready for school.
“What smells so good, mommy?” Asked Julie.
“It smells like cake, “Gina said to Julie.
When they raced into the kitchen, their eyes widened as they scanned over red heart-shaped cakes, pink heart-shaped rice crispy treats, and Valentine’s Day cards made of cardboard and markers. They spent the next few moments dipping their little fingers in the frosting and taking small bites of the savory goodies that I had baked the night before.
“Tonight we will have a party,” I told them. “However, now it is time to get ready for school.”
“Oh, Mommy!” said Gina with tears in her eyes. The cakes are so beautiful.
“We love them and they taste really good,” cried Julie.
I sat down and held them both in my arms. I told them how lucky I was to have them and just how much I loved them both. I told them I was sorry that I had no money to buy them nice things such as a heart-box filled with candy or a card. I explained to them that all I had to give was my own heart which was filled with more love than any gift could ever reveal.
Gina looked up at me with tears rolling down her small face and said, “It is alright mommy, we don’t need a heart-shaped box, or a card from the store. All we need is you and we have that.”
That night after dinner the three of us had a party. We ate cake and rice crispy treats. We danced and laughed in our living room for an hour past their bed time. As we partied I suddenly no longer felt defeated, lost, lonely, or sad. What I did find was a new power within myself and a new strength that comes from the gift of unconditional love. I then realized just thankful I was for the two precious girls I held onto each and every night. From that night on I learned to count my blessings, and to be grateful for all the small things in my life. The most important lesson I learned was that I felt loved, so very loved.
posted by tanyat | 5:35 AM
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