Joe Gregorio
Four years ago today I decided I wanted to do something a little different for Valentine's Day, so I found some red card stock in the house and began cutting out hearts. Lots of hearts. 2 inches across, about 50 in total. I then began sticking them up around the house, not randomly, but in places where Lynne would find them as she went about her daily routine. One on the bathroom mirror, one on the shower door, one on the rear-view mirror of the van, etc. She enjoyed it and so did the kids, watching her discover each new heart.
That was four years ago, but the kids were so enthralled with it that they've demanded I do it every year since, and I've complied. Last year was the toughest year since I was supposed to be traveling on Valentine's Day, which meant that I had to cut out 50 hearts in advance, pre-attach sticky gum to the back of each one, and break them into batches for the kids to distribute around the house when they got up on Valentine's Day morning.
This year is no different; it's 2am and I just finished distributing 50 hearts around the house. It's no longer surprising for Lynne, and on its fourth year is well on its way to becoming a tradition, but I'm going to keep on doing it, because our relationship isn't hearts and flowers once a year, but all the little things we do each day, every day, together.