Valentine's Day...and beyond

I have always been a romantic. (Probably thanks to my dad who often bought mom flowers for no apparent reason after picking us kids up from school). For a long time however I dreaded the "most romantic day" of the year. All the ads, chocolates and cards... As a single girl I would get together with other girls and we'd dress up and go out and try to make a point about feeling good about ourselves. (Even though we did feel good about ourselves most other days.) Now it hasn't been that long since I have had John to share that day with...but there are other days that rank higher in romance and special memories for us. John certainly is a romantic too--probably more so than me. For example, he already owned the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. He had a lot of time to get to know girls and their concerns by being friends with them for a long time. For a long time I didn't really notice this gentle available man sitting in our midst. In 2003 it started clicking. I love that it did! The song I wrote for our wedding, "Chasing You," kind of describes the realization that we finally came to--we saw potential for a friendship and relationship. I will be forever grateful that my eyes were opened. How do I feel about Valentine's Day now? It is one day in many that I can continue to love and affirm John. It is a yearly reminder that I have someone special; yet I never want to reduce our romance to a day.