Sunday, February 14, 2016

Valentine's Day

We didn't exchange cards this year.
I say to him,
"Have you seen the cost of a card?"
I heard a commentator on the radio say you could buy a paperback book for the cost of a card.
True that!

I suggested we go to the store, 
pick out a card for each other,
exchange the cards we pick in the card aisle,
then, put the card back and go to dinner on the money we saved.
Jim loved that idea.

I have files full of cards from my Valentine.
I think I've saved them all.
He saves his too.
Maybe we should pick out our favorites and re-exchange them.

There is no doubt that this man is my Valentine whether I give him a card or not.
A blog post is free, so this one is dedicated to one I love.  

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

My Valentine
2012
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

There was a day, a very long time ago, when we were in high school, when this guy was my date to the Sadie Hawkins Sock Hop.
He was crowned the King of the Hop.
I was the lucky girl that he took home from the dance.

I was smitten then.
I still am.

Those kind brown eyes are the eyes that belong to the man I adore.

How can we ever know when we first meet someone whether or not they are that special someone?
If my daughters or granddaughter's would ask me that question,
what would I say?

I think that special someone should be
solid as a rock.
Can you count on that one you have fallen for?
Is he the real deal?
Will he be there through thick or thin?

Is that special someone kind?
Does he say and do kind things?
Is his kindness authentic?
Or is he just trying to impress you?
The man I chose for my Valentine is always kind.
He's impressive, but he doesn't seek to impress.

Does the one you think you love have a giving nature,
or does he need to always receive?

As I think of all the traits that a Valentine should have, my list could go on and on.

Let me sum it up by saying,
look for:
kindness,
tenderness,
faithfulness,
loyalty,
wisdom,
flexibility,
acceptance,
persistence,
endurance,
dependability,
romance,
a sense of humor, and
a bit of orneriness.

Look for someone with:
stability,
and
spunkiness.

Look for someone with a strong character.
Is he the same person when no one is looking?

Look for someone without bad habits.

Look for someone who values:
faith,
family,
and education.
Trust me.
Someday, those things will matter.

Would your Valentine make a good parent?
Does he love kids?
Is he willing to invest in the future by working with the youth of today?

Does your Valentine, love you?
Really love you?

If you left your Valentine for thirty years and he suddenly came back into his life,
would he still love you?

My Valentine meets all of the criteria above.  

I remember when my girlfriends and I were in high school, we would ask each other what we wanted in our boyfriends, or in the guy we might marry.

We'd say things like,
He's a good dancer.
Do you remember saying that?
Actually, I love to dance with Jim.  He gets the most charming look in his eyes, and his smile is so darn cute when we dance, that I guess I can check off that box.


Somewhere down on the shelf, in a high school yearbook, 
there is a photo of Jim and me dancing at the East High Homecoming Dance in 1961.

When we went to our first prom together in 1961, we never could have imagined that
Jim & Sally
1961
 we would go to our last prom in 2012.
Jim & Sally 2012
Because he was a high school principal, I danced with my Valentine at many a prom over the years.

Along the way, this is what I learned:
It isn't about the 
dance,
it's about the
dance partner.
Choose wisely.

Our dance has not always been one we would want to display on the ballroom floor.
Sometimes, we have a power struggle over who is going to lead.
Sometimes, we are just plain out of step with each other.
Other times, the music seems all wrong.
Sometimes, it seems the evening has drug on way too long,
 and we just want to sit the next dance out.

Then, another year rolls around,

Valentine's Day brings up the subject of love and romance.
I look at that dear man across the room from me on an early Sunday morning, 
his eyes still sparkle even when he doesn't feel that well.
He is incredibly warm and loving towards me.
He is supportive and accepting of me.
He is still my funny Valentine.
He makes me smile.
He makes me laugh.
He makes my heart ping with love.
He brings a tear to my eye because I am so grateful to have this man as my husband.

Since I didn't buy him a card,
I promised to take him to a new coffee shop that has some great treats and a romantic atmosphere.
So, I will end this this Valentine's Day tribute by saying,
I love you more today than I did yesterday.
I hope to spend many tomorrows with you, the man I love. 

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Jim & Sally
Brown Palace
Anniversary Trip 2013
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
XO,
Sally













17 comments:

  1. This is so much better than any card, Sally. I'm so happy you've found the perfect partner. I believe Jim has found his perfect love, too. Happy Valentines Day. I'm also feeling pretty lucky today and most days. The date for my prom is still standing by my side.

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  2. I fuss about the price of greeting cards, too. It's outrageous. I like your idea of choosing a card, handing it to your love, then putting it back in the rack! And yes, my husband meets the criteria of a perfect mate.

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  3. As a man my reaction is to cough self-consciously and mumble something like, You have very high standards; I don't think I could measure up. And yet ... it seems you have met them! And so, the perfect valentine!

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  4. Sally, you are both so lucky to have found each other and have had so many wonderful years together. I wish you many, many more! :-)

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  5. Your post is far better than any card or gift. You are both keepers and yes, he does have really kind eyes.
    Had to laugh at teenage criteria for a good date. We use to settle for a guy just being cute and having a car.
    Finding found someone that met your well thought out adult list was very fortunate. you are a lucky lady and he a lucky man.

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  6. Always choose a man who can dance. That was my advice to my students all those years of teaching high school. They would think that Mr. Zody and I were so cute together when we danced, and I would give them this advice. It's no fun to sit on the sidelines.

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  7. This is great advice Sally. Thanks for sharing (and happy belated Valentine's Day)!
    Donna
    retirementreflections.com

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  8. A great post, Sally...love is grand!...:)JP

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  9. What a lovely tribute Sally! Had my own cards printed for Christmas this year - 60 cents each!

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  10. Wonderful sweet post. Nice to have found your one and only so early and to have had all these years together.

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  11. What a beautiful Valentine and love story.

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  12. I think this is the perfect valentine for your guy, and a wonderful and inspirational piece for us all to read! And I love the exchange in the aisle idea! Rick came to my make-and-take party and made me a Valentine! I have all his other cards but this is the most special because of the note within.

    Your list is a gem and look at what a treasure it brought you! I especially loved the part where you talked about the dance and the partner. Sometimes it is a struggle but you find how to get in step and with the right partner, you make it swing, glide and even tango!

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  13. The idea for the cards is great. I've kept all my most spectacular/sentimental Christmas cards over the years. Every year I choose a selection and put them up again - many of the senders are dead. No matter. When I was a kid, we used to have 3 postal deliveries a day at Christmas time. These digital days sending cards in the post is so passe, I didn't receive any this year.

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  14. Oh Sally, I just love your love story. You both have truly overcome such difficult times and your love for each other has strengthened you and comforted you and made you the empathetic, beautiful person you are today.

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  15. What a lovely Valentine for your very special Jim. We don't do cards either, but I knew my DH was the one when I first met him at college and 49 years after that first meeting my opinion hasn't changed.

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  16. Memories of Sadie Hawkins just came flooding back. Great post Sally.

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