Valentine's Day has always been one of my favorite days of the year. You should see the pile of Valentines I've collected over the years! I still have years worth from when I was in grade school...antiques...like me. When I was little, my mom mostly bought little Valentines for us to exchange. I'd always throw a little something extra into mine, especially for those people I really loved!
As I grew up, those Valentine's took on even more meaning. I met my husband when I was 15. We had only known each other a couple of months on that first Valentine's Day. He bought me a BIG heart shaped box of chocolates and a really sweet Valentine's card. I was in LOVE....big time!! Now we've been married nearly 35 years!
Then, in 2001, Valentine's Day as I knew it came to a crashing halt. It became the day my beautiful sister passed away. She wasn't even 50. Her daughters, the age of mine now, were motherless. The "heart" of their family, and ours, ripped away from us.
Lana was a "can-do" kind of person. She could take a cloudy sky and remake it to include the most beautiful rainbow EVER. If she was short on money, she would make you the most meaningful, most beautiful gift you've ever seen. Even when she wasn't feeling good, she never dwelt on her sickness or pain. She loved unconditionally. She was the cheerleader and "coach" for her girls during their swim team years. You know, I'm not sure there is anything she couldn't do!
She was the epitome of the word heart. She gave of herself to her girls, husband, parents and church unselfishly and generously. When we were kids, she was like a "mom" to my younger sister and I while both of my parents worked. Probably NOT a job she particularly liked! I wish you could have seen the beautiful clothes she sewed! Wow! And she made it all look so easy. She was the complete package; beauty, smarts and talent. I love her and I miss her so much.
So here is my message today.... You know how we let time get away from us? We say we are going to talk to this person or that, tell them we love them? Don't wait, blurt it out, give them a squeeze, a kiss, an "I LOVE you!" today. Don't wait. No procrastination you hear!!
I LOVE You!
hugs & kisses....
ME
hugs & kisses....
ME
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