“Sharing food with another human being
is an intimate act that should not
be indulged in lightly.”
~ M.F.K. Fisher

I didn’t exactly forget that today is Valentine’s Day. I mean, I knew that yesterday’s date was February 13th. I knew that I would be taking Penny to her preschool class this morning and that she would have a bag of valentines for her classmates. I knew that I had a routine dental cleaning today and that the appointment was scheduled for Valentine’s Day. So when I woke up this morning without a sweet, romantic Valentine’s Day card for Kathy, I felt terrible.

To make matters even worse, Kathy remembered this year! She gave me a beautiful card with a heartfelt message:

Valentine’s Day is a good day
for looking back. 

And when I look back,
I smile at the man who
first won my heart,
at the tenderness, love, and
friendship we’ve shared since then…

I smile at how far we’ve come —
through trials and triumphs,
tears and joys —
to the closeness we share today.

My love, my partner, my best friend,
I celebrate us with all my heart.

Nice, huh? To exacerbate the situation even more, Kathy thoughtfully inserted two $25 gift cards to See’s Candies. It’s absolutely true what Peanuts cartoon creator Charles Schulz said about love: “All you need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”

Oh, boy. I was in quite a predicament. I had to think quickly.

After getting dressed, I told Kathy that I had to take my car down the street to get gas. This was actually a genuine need, so I wasn’t being dishonest. Before returning home, however, I stopped by Rose Café at the corner of Saratoga & Williams Road and picked up a veggie breakfast burrito for Kathy. When I got back home, I put it on a plate and gave it to her.

I’m grateful for the words of author Alan D. Wolfelt, who wrote, “Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate.”

Whew!