My Favorite Valentine

I first shared this card before but it has become more special with the passing of years. 

This is my favorite Valentine despite being a little beat up and faded. However I do love store bought Hallmark cards too. Any of the Hallmark holiday commercials have me in tears as soon as I hear their theme music. However this special card was made with just a sheet of copy paper, a red marker and lots of love. Inside is a very artistic red heart drawn by my boyfriend. Don, my partner, who was working in Alaska on a tug and unable to get to a store so he made this card for me. I don't know where he got the little image of a couple embracing that he taped on the top. I loved the card when he sent to me over 15 years ago but over time it has became even more special to me since his death 11 years ago on the 17th of this month.

Remembering the anniversary date of a loved ones passing doesn't mean I haven't moved on with my life. What it does mean is that on this date I pause and reflect on what a wonderful the life we had together. Only someone who has gone through the grief of losing a loved one knows how quickly life can change. It took only minutes for his heart to stop and for my world to change forever. This simple card reminds me how lucky I was to have such a great guy in my life and that he wanted me to be his special Valentine.