Another Day

Today is Valentine’s Day. According to Wiki, the day is named for at least two Christian martyrs of early Christian times. The day was authorized by a Catholic pope in the fifth century, and currently is a time of celebration of love and affection between intimate companions. I assume most all of that is pretty close to authoritative.
We didn’t do much to celebrate the holiday. I never like to do much to celebrate any holiday, including birthdays, and today isn’t any different. We did go to a nice Italian restaurant for Sunday dinner. It wasn’t crowded or noisy, and the food was good. We also spent the afternoon with each other, as we normally do on weekends and went to see the grandkids and took pizza over to their place this evening along with Valentine cards and candy for the kids.
A couple of observations and comments please. First, my apologies to my wife for my reluctance to celebrate this or any holiday in the traditional way. I never was comfortable doing some of the traditional holiday things. She has known that for years, but somehow I feel the need to say it again.
I want her to know that in spite of her not getting flowers or chocolates today, I love her intensely, and cherish the time we are together, even if it’s just sitting in our easy chairs watching the Olympics. When she’s gone overnight, I don’t sleep well. I notice the empty space. Things just aren’t normal. When she’s not feeling well, I don’t feel well. Again, things just aren’t normal.
Second, it’s great to be a grandparent. Who else could take pizza and candy over to a couple of pre-schoolers, let them indulge in both, and then leave after a couple of hours and have someone else deal with the aftermath?
There’s also something about the unconditional love between grandparent and grandchild that is just different from anything else I’ve ever experienced. It’s not the same as a parent/child relationship. In fact, it’s not the same as any other relationship. On this day especially, it’s a privilege to be reminded of the special bond between the grandkids and us.
I don’t know if my wife is disappointed in my lack of holiday skills or not. If she is, she doesn’t say anything about it. I am capable of a lot of things and, I suppose, could break down and get flowers on Valentine’s Day. I’d much rather, though, do something unexpected on a routine and regular day. To me, that seems more genuine than doing something on a certain day just because everyone else does it.
Tomorrow is another day.