Forever Valentine
Source: Internet
The traditional holidays in our house when I was a child were spent timing elaborate meals around football games. My father tried to make pleasant chitchat and eat as much as he could during half-time. At Christmas he found time to have a cup or two of holiday cheer and do his holly-shaped bow tie. But he didn't truly shine until Valentine's Day.
I don't know whether it was because work at the office slowed during February or because the football season was over. But Valentine's Day was the time my father chose to show his love for the special people in his life. Over the years I fondly thought of him as my " Valentine Man."
My first recollection of the magic he could bring to Valentine's Day came when I was six. For several days I had been cutting out valentines for my classmates. Each of us was to decorate a "mailbox" and put it on our desk for others to give us cards. That box and its contents ushered in a succession of bittersweet memories of my entrance into a world of popularity contests marked by the number of cards received, the teasing about boyfriends/girlfriends and the tender care I gave to the card from the cutest boy in class.
That morning at the breakfast table I found a card and a gift-wrapped package at my chair. The card was signed "Love, Dad" , and the gift was a ring with a small piece of red glass to represent my birthstone, a ruby. There is little difference between red glass and rubies to a child of six, and I remember wearing that ring with a pride that all the cards in the world could not surpass.
As I grew older, the gifts gave way to heart-shaped boxes filled with my favorite chocolates and always included a special card signed "Love, Dad" .In those years my "thank-yous" became more of a perfunctory response.The cards seemed less important, and I took for granted the valentine that would always be there. Long past the days of having a "mailbox" on my desk, I had placed my hopes and dreams in receiving cards and gifts from "significant others" , and "Love, Dad" just didn't seem quite enough.
If my father knew then that he had been replaced, he never let it show. If he sensed any disappointment over valentines that didn't arrive for me, he just tried that much harder to create a positive atmosphere, giving me an extra hug and doing what he could to make my day a little brighter.
My mailbox eventually had a rural address, and the job of hand-delivering candy and cards was relegated to the U.S.Postal Service. Never in ten years was my father's package late--nor was it on the Valentine's Day eight years ago when I reached into the mailbox to find a card addressed to me in my mother's handwriting.
It was the kind of card that comes in an inexpensive assortment box sold by a child going door-to-door to try to earn money for a school project. It was the kind of card that you used to get from a grandmother or an aging aunt or, in this case, a dying father. It was the kind of card that put a lump in your throat and tears in your eyes because you knew the person no longer was able to go out and buy a real valentine. It was a card that signaled this would be the last you receive from him.
The card had a photograph of tulips on the outside, and on the inside my mother had printed "Happy Valentine's Day" . Beneath it, scrawled in barely legible handwriting, was "Love, Dad" .
His final card remains on my bulletin board today. It's a reminder of how special fathers can be and how important it had been to me over the years to know that I had a father who continued a tradition of love with a generosity of spirit, simple acts of understanding and an ability to express happiness over the people in his life.
Those things never die, nor does the memory of a man who never stopped being my valentine. ">
Rebecca Lin 2010 Winter In USA |
緣自知音,
It is so interesting to know it. Thank you so much for telling me. I really appreciate it.
Have a nice week,
Rebecca
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Dodge Monaco was a full-size automobile built and sold by the Dodge division of the Chrysler Corporation between 1965 to 1978 and 1990 to 1992.
Have a good week,
緣自知音
Thank you so much for letting me know. If possible, you may ask Monaco if her name is related to the country's name. My father told me how he named me. It was after a very special person's name in his life.
Thank you so much for sharing the precious memories of your late father with me. I know how you feel. We miss our loved ones even more during the holiday seasons. Yet their love gives us spiritual support. We just have to cherish what we have, enjoy what we have and live happily.
You are ahead of us. We will ring in Chinese New Year Eve tonight.
Happy Spring Festival and Valentine's Day to you and your family,
Rebecca
As a new person at office, I received a lot of supports and help from Monaco, the office supervisor.I really appreciate it.
你說得很對, 許多的時候,當我們擁有時,就習以為常了.一旦失去後,才體會到那擁有時的珍貴.這篇文章讓我感同身受地想到自己的父親, 在我一路成長的過程中,得到過父親無微不至的關懷照顧,等到自己有能力反饋時,卻已經是"子欲養而親不待"了, 留下終生遺憾.
REBECCA, 在你這裏常常能讀到一些陶冶性情,甚至觸及靈魂的好文.
中國新年-虎年,還有50分鍾-就到了, 向你和你全家拜年了!
確實是一篇感人至深,催人淚下的美文.
許多的時候,當我們擁有時,就習以為常了.一旦失去後,才體會到那擁有時的珍貴.我們隻要珍惜生活裏那溫馨的點點滴滴,就不會有日後的失落和遺憾.那份美好也將伴隨著歲月的流淌,典藏在心裏.
I am so glad to know that you received a valentine's card from Monaco with such a wonderful wish: "Have a perfect Valentine's Day". The word: " perfect" is so nice.
Wish you a sweet and perfect Valentine's Day,
Love,
Rebecca
P.S. I am geography challenged. I have to search on Wikipedia to find out where Monaco is located.
Monaco
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco is a small sovereign city-state located in South Western Europe on the northern central coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Monaco is the name of the country and its capital (and only) city. It is famous as a tax haven, and wealthy foreigners make up the majority of the population, around 84%.
Monaco is a constitutional monarchy and principality, with Prince Albert II as head of state. The House of Grimaldi has ruled Monaco since 1297, and the state's sovereignty was officially recognized by the Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 1861. Despite being independent, Monaco's defence is the responsibility of France.
I received a valentine's card from Monaco at work. and it's says "Have a perfect Valentine's Day".
I wish you a PERFECT Valentine's day as well, Rebecca!
謝謝謙謙喜歡。
照片是我從Google上下載的。
Have a nice weekend,
Rebecca
Dear 謙謙,
Thank you very much.
Happy Spring Festival and Valentine's Day to you,
Rebecca
也問候靜謐海灣！過年好！
Yeah, it is a touching father-daughter story. "Those things never die, nor does the memory of a man who never stopped being my valentine."
Happy Spring Festival and Valentine's Day to you and your family, too,
Rebecca
Thank you for sharing,
Happy Valentine and Chinese New Year to you and your family,