Valentines Day

One of my other favourite things about James is that, in spite of the fact that I pragmatically tell him he does not have to buy cards or chocolate or flowers for me, he does anyway. And I secretly love it. And he knows that.

Yesterday he bought me three red roses (one from each of the boys) and a box of homemade chocolates from The Chocolate Shop in town. He even knew to get mostly orange chocolate, because that is my favourite.

And he bought me a card. He always buys me cards. I almost never buy cards. But it just so happens that the card he bought me yesterday is probably the best card I've ever seen:

My Forever Love

When I say "I love you," it means

that in you I have found

a once-in-a-lifetime love,

the kind that I just know

will last forever...

It means I want to share

it all with you -

good times, bad times, adventures,

problems and joys.

I means that, no matter what,

you're the one I want to be with.

When I say "I love you," it means

I love you just the way you are,

and every time I'm with you,

I discover yet one more thing

about you to love.

Love is something very precious,

and when I say it, I mean it

with all my heart.

And I'm saying it to you.

These words evoke everything that is James and my relationship, which is why I really cherished the card.

James also gave me one other Valentine's present - a list of 14 things he loves about me. He never mentioned that he had been reading the "Random Reasons I Love James." I didn't specifically tell him I was doing it; I did know that from time to time, usually once a week, he peeks into my blog to see what I'm writing about. He doesn't read it daily - he lives most of the things I write about. At any rate, he did peek in, and was privately reading each entry. Then he compiled his own list and gave it to me, each one printed on a separate piece of paper and all tied together with red ribbon. I'll write a journal entry after this one of each of the things he wrote. The booklet might get worn, torn or lost over time, but hopefully I will be able to preserve them by recording them here.

I should also note my gift to James. Having written that I don't usually buy cards, and with three young boys I don't often get out to the store. Instead, I cooked James a roast dinner, complete with his favourite herb roasted potatoes. When he came in the door after work the aroma of roasting meat filled every corner of the house, and his eyes absolutely lit up when he smelled the fare that is unusual for a weekday. I love that look, and I love how much he loves the dinner.

All in all, a fantastic Valentine's Day. I know it is traditionally a Hallmark holiday, created for retailers to bridge the gap between Christmas and Easter. But I love to take advantage of a special day to tell those I love how much I love and appreciate them. In today's world, I figure we can use all the holidays of love we can get.