I love us

Yesterday newly dating couples all over the world were sweating profusely as they exchanged gifts, not wanting to outdo, or (worse) underdo the other. Yesterday Kegs and Hallmarks and Ben Moss's raked in enough profit to keep them going until likely next Christmas (or at least St.Patty's Day). Yesterday florists were calmly dealing with high strung husbands and boyfriends stopping in on their way home from their jobs, only to find out that the last rose had just been snatched up by the customer one ahead of them in line. Yesterday eager six graders were rifling  through their homemade cardboard mailboxes in hopes of finding a valentine from their newest classroom crush. Yesterday was Valentine's Day.
I'll admit I am not a lover (heh heh) of this particular holiday. I just don't agree with the pressure it puts on so many people to show how they feel for their loved ones, simply because someone decided that the 14th of February was going to be "the" day to celebrate love in your life. It gives people expectations, and sometimes with expectations comes disappointment. Neither am I a hater of Valentine's Day, though. I am not against flowers and chocolate, suppers and jewelery. I would not oppose anyone that wanted to show their love on Valentine's Day by doing extravagant things for each other. I would just much rather do something spontaneous (although that's quite a bit harder now), on a day where we're not required to do something special together. I just like things to be simple.
Yesterday I woke up while Ty was getting ready for work. Since he knows by now to leave me be if I'm still sleeping at this point, I thought I would let him know it was okay to give me a kiss goodbye by announcing in a silly, overtired voice, "Happy Valentine's Day!" to which he giggled, gave me my kiss, and left for the day. It was then that I came up with a plan to do something nice for him when he got home from work. I decided to make lasagna, one of his favorite meals, but then realized I didn't have a few things that I needed. Ty had taken the car to school, and the walking path to the grocery store is somewhat of a death trap right now, so I went downstairs to see if a certain auntie Raquel would be willing to look after the stink bomb (Hudson, obviously) for 20 minutes while I ran out. When I got downstairs, I found a scrap paper folded in half by the computer, with the words "I choo-choo-choose you" on the front, and a picture of a very happy train (if you're a Simpsons fan, you'll get the reference!).
Anyways, Raquel willingly obliged my request, so in the afternoon, I got to go out and pick up what I needed, and found a few treats that I also knew Ty would like. By the time he got home, I had supper made, had set the table for two, brought out some wine glasses (which were then filled  with water - for some odd reason, there is no such thing as co-op brand wine), and placed a candle in the middle. So simple. Also when Ty came in, I noticed he was holding something behind his back - and when he brought it out, I saw it was a very cheerful looking pipe cleaner flower that he had apparently stayed behind extra at school to make me.
Th rest of the evening was relaxing - a little Seinfeld, a little 30 Day Shred (ok...that wasn't relaxing), a little NHL '11, and a little puzzling to end it off. I liked our simple Valentine's Day. I liked picturing Ty silently cursing to himself as he burned his hands yet again with the glue gun in order to make me a pretty flower. I liked sitting at the table, just the two of us, talking about anything and everything.  I liked the fact that, although Ty appreciated the fact that I made a special supper, I could very well have made him an omelet or sandwich or whatever else I was planning to make, and he would not have been disappointed. We both agreed it was simply a very pleasant day.
That being said, I hope you did all have a good February 14th, whether you celebrated or not, however great lengths you went to for the person/people that you love, or however simple you kept it. At the very least, I hope it reminded you what love truly is:
"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
Beautiful words. A challenge to live by, but beautiful nonetheless!

Not the best picture, but here's my happy homemade flower