The last thing on my mind

Julia ♦ February 14, 2021 ♦ 4 Comments

We’d only just begun: Jeff and me in May, 1978.

“I don’t understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine’s Day.  When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.”  — Author Unknown

Let’s just say I’m not a typically romantic woman.  I’ve tried reading contemporary romance novels, but I can’t seem to finish one; I find them boring, insulting, or both.  I don’t like expensive restaurants, fine wines or pricey jewelry.  I don’t find Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt or George Clooney appealing at all; I much prefer Dustin Hoffman or Gary Sinise.

I had no desire whatsoever for a big wedding, and in fact, I spent as little time as possible planning ours, with every bit of my wedding outfit borrowed from friends.  I couldn’t wait for it to be OVER. I didn’t want a wedding, I wanted a marriage. (OK, and a honeymoon!) 🙂

When it comes to romantic relationships, I’m an oddball.  In fact, until Jeff came along, I wasn’t sure I’d ever really love anyone.  But when I fell, I fell hard, and it stuck.  Our relationship has been far from an easy one, but he’s still my one and only Valentine.

This year, I find myself having come full circle from the time the photo above was taken, nearly 36 years ago.  Now as then, I find myself wishing for many more holidays with Jeff, all too uncertain as to whether I will be granted my wish.  But also, now as then, I am feeling more optimistic each day that these wishes — OUR wishes — will come true.

Yet feelings are notoriously unreliable, aren’t they?  Sometimes.  In this case though, I think my optimism is as well founded as it was then.  Maybe our fairy tale isn’t a typical one, but despite a lot of anxiety and sorrow, it does seem to have more than its share of “happily ever after.” I choose to believe that pattern will continue.  Meanwhile, I celebrate the joy of NOW, and of knowing the odds for Jeff’s survival have improved considerably over the past year.

On this day we associate with hearts and flowers, I wish for you the happiness of HOPE for a future full of love and joy.  Happy Valentine’s Day!  Please click here for a Valentine  — and the chance to design (and save) a virtual floral arrangement!

One year ago today

The fullness of peace

This post was first published seven years ago today. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.