Not long ago my sweet wife slipped up beside me, extended her arm around me, and gently stated that she did not want me to concern myself with trying to get her a valentine’s gift this year.
Her statement has nothing to do with a lack of desire to receive one, but everything to do with a tighter budget these days. Since she handles the finances in our home, it is extremely difficult to buy her anything without her knowing. I have to be a creative opportunist.
It gave me tremendous pleasure to respond by saying too late, baby - I already have. Her expression of surprise was everything I hoped it would be.
One of the things I have been trying to do is stay ahead of the game when it comes to seasons of gifting with my wife. I have a tendency to think of things along the way to give her, and then let whatever day is approaching approach without having acted upon the intentions of my heart.
This year I bought her a card immediately following New Years. I was strolling solo through a store and saw the cards had just been put out. My first thought was ‘I’ll catch it later, I've still got plenty of time’. Fortunately, my next thought was ‘Hey, I’ve got first pickings if I get it now’.
Truth be told, I’m not a fan of cards; at least as a giver anyway. I never seem to find the card that says exactly what I feel. Part of that could be from waiting until all that is left are cards “from the both of us” or “to a super 7 year old”. The rest of the cards are damaged, shuffled out of place, and I’m usually standing there looking with 8 other people in a shopping space made for three. But that day, with time, urgency and an un-plundered card rack on my side, I found a great card. It’s just enough cute, not too much flower, a little glitter, and most importantly, the words within are perfect.
My wife’s love language is most certainly gifts, nothing major mind you, but gifts nonetheless. She loves unexpected little happpies full of thoughtfulness, so while getting the card I went ahead and picked up a few things to go with it; It has all been hidden in my office for weeks now… except the card. I realized on Friday, February 13th that I couldn’t find it when I began wrapping and packing.
It turns out the card was in my backpack all this time and now it looks like it’s been crammed in the typical junk drawer for the last two years. It is bent, discolored, missing glitter in spots, and has a stain that appears to be a drop of coffee on one of the corners. How could I let this happen? Everything else is so perfect and now I have to scavenge through leftover cards on Valentine’s eve... again. I feel like such a bottom feeder.
As I sat at my desk reading and re-reading the card I finally decided that she will love it anyway. It's a risk, but if there was ever a moment when the thought counted more, this is it. My wife likes a great story, and this will be sweet to her. She’ll like the fact that I bought it so early. She will be impressed, but not surprised by my creative wrapping job, and when she opens the tattered, coffee stained card in bewilderment, she will appreciate the words within and ultimately include that card with other keepsakes.
We have spent over twenty valentine’s days together, and there is no card on earth that can truly capture how I feel about that or all that she means to me. She is my one true love - always has been, always will be. She is my valentine.
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