At my house, every day is Valentine’s Day. For most of the year, when my guy and I talk about hearts, we’re thinking about this:

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And not this:

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But yay! February 14th is around the corner.

The elaborate cards that commemorate Valentine’s Day are nice, but sometimes I miss the simple grade school greetings I shared with all of my classmates.

Now, I get chocolate.

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And Kisses.

And sometimes, flowers.

And always a card signed “with love”.

The practice of sending Valentine’s Day greetings dates at least to the Georgian era in England. In 1797, The Young Man’s Valentine Writer provided the era’s equivalent of “Bee Mine” and “Hugs and Kisses”, and perhaps more romantic messages also.

Though I save all the cards from my guy, I only reread them when I’m cleaning a closet or drawer. And then I’m reminded of a collection of letters my mother stored in a trunk in her basement. Yes, love letters, or so I imagine them to be, because they were the letters she and my father exchanged during the three years he spent in North Africa and Europe during World War II.

And yes, I must imagine–as her health started to fail, she destroyed the letters, lest her children see a glimpse of our parents’ young romance.

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I wish she had saved them. Those recordings of other people’s hearts are wonderful to read.  Even better is to receive a heart-felt letter from the one we love.

Here’s wishing you love on this Valentine’s Day!