Valentines of Days Gone By

Earlier today Janet posted charming images of valentines she received in first grade, and they brought back all kinds of memories. One of her commenters wrote about the anxiety-filled process of deciding which card to give to which classmate, a dilemma that plagued me every year until I was old enough that it was no longer cool to give out valentines at school.

One of my favorite parts of those early Valentine Days was working with my mother to create a special "valentine box" to take to school. There was always a slot cut into the top to make it function like a mailbox, and most of mine were covered in ruffles of red and white crepe paper, with paper doilies and hearts stuck on the top. That red crepe paper bled like an accident victim when it got a little water on it, which it always seemed to do somehow.

While I was thinking about valentines, I suddenly remembered a little boy I hadn't thought of in decades. He had a crush on my little sister when they were both in first or second grade. His name was Charlie (Charley?) Hart, and he once sent her a love note on which he had carefully printed, "You are my weethart." I thought that was hilarious, and I'm sure I must have called her "weethart" for weeks after that. Do you remember him, Sis?

Love feels sweet and warm on this day or any day, don't you think?