Yesterday was Valentines Day. Every Valentines Day for as far back as I can remember my Dad always bought me a heart shaped box of chocolates. Even if I couldn't get over to visit him because of my own responsibilities, when I got to visit my heart shaped box would be waiting on me. Daddy always celebrated me. I denied it when he was alive but I guess I will admit it now, I was his favorite. Funny thing is, each of us five children all thought we were Dad's favorite. He treated us all differently. He never once bought my brothers a heart shaped box of chocolates. As we get older I find out things he did for them I didn't know. I truly don't need to know. What matters is the way my Daddy always made me feel. He made me feel celebrated. He made me feel important. I knew I was on my Father's mind and in His heart.
My father died October 13, 2014. I have been through some Valentine Days now where I've missed my Dad. This year I missed the box, not the candy. Honestly the candy inside was never really what I liked. There were years the chocolates were absolutely terrible, other years they were surprisingly good. What mattered wasn't the candy, it was that my father thought of me, never forgot me, and wanted to celebrate his love for me.
It's never to late to start a new tradition. Maybe it's your spouse. Maybe it's your child now grown into an adult, or maybe it is a grandchild. What matters is that you make them feel celebrated. You make them feel special. You can begin today.
I called my mom and she mentioned Daddy too. She said, Daddy always liked homemade cards the best. That got me wondering. All those years in school when I made those Valentine's Day cards for Daddy, did they mean as much to him as my cardboard box of chocolates meant to me? I will never know. What I do know, is my fathers love. What I will always remember is that my father showered me with love. I never doubted my fathers love. It really is the little things we remember. The day in and day out little celebrations of life truly add up.
It's never to late to start a new tradition. Maybe it's your spouse. Maybe it's your child now grown into an adult, or maybe it is a grandchild. What matters is that you make them feel celebrated. You make them feel special. You can begin today.
I called my mom and she mentioned Daddy too. She said, Daddy always liked homemade cards the best. That got me wondering. All those years in school when I made those Valentine's Day cards for Daddy, did they mean as much to him as my cardboard box of chocolates meant to me? I will never know. What I do know, is my fathers love. What I will always remember is that my father showered me with love. I never doubted my fathers love. It really is the little things we remember. The day in and day out little celebrations of life truly add up.
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