I got to thinking about Valentine’s Day when my son’s bedroom stove overheated. When they got home from work their bedroom was more than 90 degrees. When he told me about it my mind went back to a Valentine’s Day many years ago.

My first husband was never big on Valentine’s Day. Sometimes, he remembered but more often than not he forgot until he came home to a special dinner that I fixed for him.

This event happened when we were dating. He came up to my apartment on a Wednesday night to visit and brought me a Valentine. It was a pretty box of candy that was shaped like a heart. I immediately opened the box so I could share some with him.

The apartment that I lived in had a space heater. Every night when I went to bed, I turned down the heat. I was not used to sleeping in a warm room. I had grown up in my grandparents’ home with no heat ducts running upstairs. The only heat that got up there came up the open stairway.

In the morning when I awoke, I turned the heat up to eat breakfast and get dressed for school. Well, that morning I forgot to turn the heat down. When I got home from school the apartment was really hot. I adjusted the heat to cool the place off and opened the outside door. When I went to get a piece of my Valentine candy, I found that it was melted and too soft to eat. I knew that my boyfriend had spent quite a bit of money on it so I did not want to have to tell him I melted it. I put it into the refrigerator to firm back up. That worked and I could eat it. Incidentally, the next year he gave me a sweater instead of candy by the way.

That got me to thinking about other Valentine celebrations. One Valentine’s Day I planned an indoor picnic supper for my husband and I. The kids were off to college at the time so it was just us. I spread a blanket on the floor, lit the oil lamp, and served the meal in the living room so we could watch the news. Although he thought it was a silly idea, he went along with it. Really, I was crushed that he did not appreciate my efforts.

Since Dick was not so romantic, I usually just cooked a special meal. That way I did not feel so bad when he forgot about it. I made red gelatin molds and heart shaped cookies to enjoy. While the children were home, we had a lot more special meals. They really thought that was a great way to celebrate.

My second husband was a different story. He was romantic and always remembered. Before we married, he gave me boxes of Whitman’s Sampler candy. He told me he also sent his daughter one. Once we married that did not end. Then, he had a card waiting for me when I got up. Sometimes there was candy and sometimes jewelry.

I told him before we married that I usually cooked. I even cooked him a meal before we married. I continued that practice. I cooked something that he especially enjoyed. Dessert was of course, something sweet. Don loved his sweets.

The last Valentine’s Day that we spent together was different. He was late getting to the store, but I am not exactly sure why. All of the pretty boxes of candy were gone as were the Whitman’s Samplers. He picked out a mug that had hearts on it with hot cocoa mix. He thought that was not enough so he bought some lottery tickets for me. When he scratched off one of them, there was a prize of fifty dollars. I got that along with my mug. I really lucked out. I used the money for some new shoes that I wanted and still had some money left over. He was able to find me a very nice card.

Whether you celebrate or not is for you decide. Some people go all out, while others do something simple. Many couples go out to dinner. Whatever is your pattern, be sure to show your love in some way. Love should be celebrated the whole year round, not only on Valentine’s Day.

Remember, the little things really are the big things in life. Doing the little things makes for a good marriage. A kind thought is always appreciated.

Ann Swanson Russell, PA. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.