Valentine's Day

St. Valentine’s Day…the day designated for the celebration of love and affection.

As a child, I loved this holiday. I knew that when I got up on Valentine’s Day there would be a red heart shaped box of candy and a card waiting on my breakfast plate; a gift from my father. A lot of people think this was weird, but for me it was special for two reasons. First, it was candy, and I could eat it for breakfast if I wanted to! The ONLY holiday we could do that. We even had to wait till AFTER church to dig into our Easter baskets and if you know anything about being Catholic, you know how lllloooonnnngggg Easter services can be. They blessed everything from the rafters to the foundation and every pew, hymnal and statue of Mary in between. The second reason I loved Valentine's Day was because this is the only gift Dad gave us all year that was specifically from him. He left all the other holiday stuff to Mom. So, I think this was probably Dad’s favorite holiday.  He always got Mom a really big heart and a card thatgot kept and not thrown away!

It was also a fun time during elementary school. I remember getting a paper bag and we had to put our name on it and we could decorate it however we liked. This was our “official” Valentine’s Day mailbox. Anytime we got to cut, paste and color was a happy day for me. I learned early on that cutting a heart shape into the front of the bag created a serious design flaw-one that allowed all your Valentine’s to fall out! My project management style has not changed much since those days-do first; alter later. And yes, for all you left brainers-I know it is better to spend a little time planning, but I can tell you from experience-it’s not near as fun!! And if memory serves, I think I punched the boy who made fun of my faulty mailbox in first grade. Guess my temper has not changed much either!  I don't think I got a Valentine from him either! 

As an adult, my passion for it has definitely waned. I think it is because the minute the stores are finished with Christmas they start pushing Valentine’s Day stuff. It used to be just candy and cards, now it’s just a bunch of “stuff” with candy and the cards bringing up the rear. And my favorite retailer (NOT) whose name I refuse to mention even had the audacity to put Easter candy right next to the Valentine candy. Really? You couldn’t wait two measly weeks to put the Easter candy out?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

I decided to try and get a little bit more enthusiastic this year and make a photo assignment about Valentine’s day. I took pictures of the obvious-those cut out red hearts and glittery ornaments. They do make a nice contrast to an otherwise dreary mid-winter window display. I also wanted to incorporate images of hearts that nature provided and that I have been lucky enough to find this past year. I find that when I look for them-they are illusive, but like most of those great "ah-ha!" photos, you find them when you least expect it.

So this Valentine's Day I will carry on my Father's tradition. Everyone in the "penthouse" at work will be getting a little surprise goody bag to celebrate Valentine's Day. Look at this way- any holiday that is celebrated with giving people candy, can't be all bad, right?!