Today is Valentine’s Day, a day loved by many, feared by some, loathed by still others.The romantics and those in love adore this day. Depending on your life circumstances, there can be expectations that surround today, many of which seem impossible to meet. Of course capitalism has swept in and created a frenzy around what is the ‘perfect gift’ for a loved one,usually accompanied by a sizable price tag. Flowers, candy, cards….all a little more expensive than they are at other times of the year.
As a child I remember Valentine’s Day not so much for the valentines but for the opportunity to create the mailbox that would receive the cards from my classmates. My mother and I would scour the house for a shoe box and gather all the materials to decorate it. Red, white and pink construction paper, pieces of ribbon, old magazines, glue, scissors and the little paper doilies that were only used, it seemed to me, as the backdrop for fancy desserts or the yearly Valentine mailbox.To set the stage, we would cover the box first with paper, wrapping the bottom part of the box, gently, neatly folding the paper inside and taping it. This part of the box would be unseen after the top, also wrapped,but with a slot cut by my mother so valentines could be slipped inside was placed on top. Then the true work began….a paper doily here, topped with a red heart cut from the construction paper…..a rose or other flower cut from the magazine glued to the red heart. On and on it went as we stood back from the kitchen table, looking at our creative process unfolding before our eyes, agreeing that this was ‘just right’ and that was ‘too much’. The final touch was added and the top was placed on the box ready to receive the valentines from friends at school the next day.
On February 14th I would head out the door with my Valentine mailbox. I would place it on the corner of my desk and the teacher would call the name of each student and they would deliver their valentines. Some I was eager to receive….would there be a message that I thought was ‘special’ from a particular boy? Or would they simply say Happy Valentine’s Day….pretty safe, no need to worry about hidden meanings.
I don’t remember opening the valentine box until I got home. Maybe we did but my memory centers around sitting down with my mother to open the box we had made together. We would take out each valentine and read them. Some were funny, some simple, every now and then a homemade one. There was also always one from our teacher usually accompanied by a piece of candy. There we would be, sitting together, opening these sentiments for a day meant to remind us to tell those we love how we feel.
In that moment the most important reminder of love for me was not created by Hallmark but was held together by glue and tape,crumpled paper and artificial lace. Snuggled up together I knew through the warmth of feeling and a deep knowing that my mother and I had created a container for love.
"Let love be genuine." Romans 12:9