Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope your day is filled with roses, romance, and relationships; sweet as chocolate and filled with love!

For many, Valentine's day is just that, a day of warm fuzzies, sweet nothings whispers softly into only a lover's ear, full of poetry and praise, and many not-so-mundane-moments. For me, it is a special day..... one I share with my family and friends...... the excitement usually begins a few days before and lingers longer. Why? It is my birthday! Each year, it seems to come earlier and earlier.... LOL!

This year it actually began several days ago when received my first birthday card: well, a more personable one than the one I received from the company I work for, LOL! Year after year, I can count on Don's mom's card to be the first of many to arrive. From there it begins to spiral, in both my mailbox and email. Acquantances, family, and friends seem to remember this day even if they don't always remember to write, email, or call once in a while. It's funny how this works. Yet, there are several things that I count on, my sister will call, my mom will telephone me, and my dear daughter will be over, bearing a gift she really couldn't afford to give.

Every year, I get the same ole' question, "What do you want for your birthday?" and for some strange reason, I struggle for an answer. Don suggests many possible gifts to give, things to do, places to go --- but I don't feel interested. Dinner is usually one of our "things to do" as well as a "place to go" For years, we celebrated with Jim & Rosella and a wonderful Italian restaurant, MJ Mugsy's by reservation only. That was fun and fine for a while... You see, I hate going out to eat on my birthday! Restaurants are so overcrowded, usually the weekend before, the day of, and the weekend after, as many celebrate this day together which usually means service sucks, the food is either undercooked, overcooked, too cold........ and then there is the dreaded, "Happy Birthday song" and everyone stares and thinks, "How sweet!" Anyways, dinner on this day or the weekend before or after doesn't excite me! So, please, don't offer me dinner....

Gifts...... another thing I struggle with. What do I want, is there something I need? Funny, I don't have this problem any other time of the year. Simply ask me any time other than 2 weeks prior to this day and I could give you a list! I usually tend to purchase what I want, without asking or making a request of someone else, I suppose that has a lot to do with why I struggle with it.

This year, I don't want anything, "special"......... "simple" is more my style --- a single rose, a smaller box of chocolate, a sweet card, a glass of wine. Just being here, seeing the world with a new eyes, love in my heart, and having my family and friends near is enough for me!

So, here's to a simple Valentine's day, a single rose, romance, relationships with family and friends, and the hope of many more..........