This issue of the Cook County News-Herald is our Valentine’s Day edition. It’s not as chockfull of fun holiday greetings as our Christmas issue. The paper that comes out closest to Christmas is always wonderful as it is primarily a giant community holiday greeting. But Valentine’s Day doesn’t get the same outpouring.
Oh, we have Valentine’s Day ads, but most of them appear far ahead of the holiday, as stores and restaurants try to entice sweethearts to buy a special bauble or bouquet for their significant others. There are some very pretty ads. I like hearts and flowers and pretty pastels, so I enjoy them.
I know that some people do not. I know there are some cynical souls out there who believe the purpose of holidays like Valentine’s Day or St. Patrick’s Day or Mother’s Day are just a gimmick to get people’s money. I know that many people think these holidays are pushed by advertisers to empty their pockets.
I guess I’m just not that pessimistic. I enjoy each and every holiday that appears on the calendar. It is nice to have a little break from the dreary dayto day routine. It’s nice to be able to say, “Happy…Something” as I go about my day.
And generally, people smile when you give them a holiday greeting, no matter how minor the holiday. Even the want-to-be holiday scrooges smile when you wish them a “Happy…Something.” It gives a grouch a reason to grumble, which actually ends up making him or her smile.
It’s also nice to be reminded that there are people who should be remembered and honored. I probably don’t tell my parents, or my kids or grandkids, or siblings or friends “I love you” often enough. Yes, I try to say it every time I see them, but sometimes life gets in the way.
Unfortunately, sometimes deadlines and appointments and life’s drama make me forget to appreciate my friends and family. I hate that there are times when I look at my phone’s caller ID or my e-mail in-box and think, “Oh no, what do they want?”
So I don’t mind holidays that make me stop and think of how very blessed I am to have those people to pester me when I’m frantically trying to finish an article or conduct an interview. I don’t mind a reminder to say, “Happy…Something!”
That is why I especially like Valentine’s Day, because it is specifically intended to make you stop and think of the ones you love. Yes, you cynical readers, it also means buying chocolate or roses or fancy cards, but if that is what you need to do to say “I love you,” I say do it!
Of course there are other ways to say I love you that don’t cost anything. My dear husband Chuck shows me he loves me by doing most of the cooking, by starting coffee in the morning even though he hates it, by feeding the birds so I can enjoy them and by scraping the ice off my windshield if he leaves before me in the morning. That and so much more.
So my challenge this Valentine’s Day is to find a way, however small, to show him that I really do appreciate all the little things he does for me. Writing about him in a column doesn’t do it—that’s just annoying and becomes something else I have to make up for!
I’ll have to think of something else. Hmmm…I wonder if Gunflint Mercantile can make maple bacon fudge in a heartshape?
Have a Happy…Something everyone!
Love is, above all,
the gift of oneself.
Jean Anouilh Ardele
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