My Valentine 4 U

I have a complicated relationship with Valentine's Day (see my novel, Thwonk). But it's time to celebrate chocolate without boundaries, to run to the store at the last minute and realize that only the bad cards are left, the ones that read, To my husband and forever friend/I pledge my love to never end/but grow more sweet and ever strong/For you, my dear, alone I long. It's the time to remember Valentines past, and this can be very grim indeed. My memories are of my grammar school where the popular kids got big valentines and the lowest of the low, like me, got ones with "Occupant" printed on the envelope. It's the time for some to be celebrated and some to be lonely. But it is the time to send a card, so here's mine to you:

I wish you dreams that are worth waiting for.
I wish you friends who won't just tell you what you want to hear.
I wish you the thrill of being paid to do something that you love.
I wish you an alarm to buzz when you're about to say the wrong thing.
I wish you wonderful comebacks for the bullies in your life.
I wish you confidence to not second-guess your supreme moments of courage.
I wish you energy on rainy days.
I wish you a joke that only you can tell that leaves people in hysterics.
I wish you moments of pure joy when you feel like a little kid.
I wish you memories that won't bruise you, and enough forgetfulness to let the small stuff slide.
I wish you the ability to laugh long and deep.
I wish you a bathroom to be there whenever you need one.  
I wish you a heart of good cheer and a soul filled with hope.   

Happy V Day,
Joan

And for my husband and true Valentine of twenty-seven years, who cooks and manages my website and does umpteen things to enhance my life each and every day, no card could say how I feel. Even if I got to the store a week early, there just wouldn't be one good enough.