Another Valentine’s Day has arrived in the Patterson home, and it reminds me of the true gifts of love we have in this life.
As part of our annual tradition, my family and I gathered around our kitchen table to get ready for the holiday. With our youngest son Jase, preparations of the traditional Valentine’s Day cards is a big deal. Careful consideration is given to which card goes where, what card goes to the teachers and what “super mushy” cards get discarded.
Instead of going overboard with elaborate cards covered in glitter, attachable lollipops and scratch-and-sniff stickers, I kept it simple. It was just a collection of small cards held together with a heart-shaped sticker with art scenes of ocean creatures.
It wasn’t a table covered with glitter and glue. There were no ribbons or mountains of pink paper. It was just a mother, a son and simple cardboard cards. But there was a ton of laughter and love around that circle as Jase scribbled his friends’ names, personally picking which kid got what and adding that special touch on the card for his teacher.
We even stopped to share a few laughs with my favorite Jackie Gleason show, The Honeymooners, playing in the background.
Simple, but sweet.
I began to get worried about what food item to prepare for Jase’s class party. The card decorations took longer than I expected. Rushing to the store, I found some packages of small, miniature doughnuts decorated with pink icing and sprinkles.
I was in a crunch, so I bought two packages. Heading home, I was disappointed in myself for not making something homemade. I was also worried that Jase would be disappointed.
But when I walked into the kitchen with my selection, he was thrilled. He spent at least a few minutes telling me how pretty the icing was. We even found a pink container in our pantry to put them in.
Jase was so proud of a treat I thought he would be disappointed in.
It was another Valentine’s Day accomplished. Another holiday in the books. There were no frills, bells or whistles. But it was perfect.
It was a time of gathering around as a family, making memories. A simple act of doing something together was better than any elaborate gift or display of candy and hearts.
And helping each other out when needed was the best act of love and devotion possible. We worked as a team, and it resulted in a house full of smiles.
That’s a true gift of love. Taking pride in the family, laughing through it all and adding a few extra sprinkles on top with maybe a doughnut or two.
