A Heart of Gold

Valentines Day. Never was a big fan. In High School the Drama Club was responsible for delivering carnations to those who’d purchased them for their ‘special someone.’ It was such a popularity thing. Being one of the not-so-popular kids, I found a way around it. As a proud member of the Drama Club, after we were done making the deliveries, I gathered a bunch of the leftover flowers and walked around, carrying them as a gift from myself and validation of my own popularity!

As I got older, it wasn’t much better. Even when I had a boyfriend on V-Day, it was such an imposed holiday. It just never resonated with me at all.

But February 14, 1997 things began to shift. That night I was on my second or third date with this guy. We’d been performing in a theatre production together and afterwards we, along with many in the cast, went out to eat. Then we (just he and I!) took a walk along the beautiful Coronado beach. That night the waves were magically glowing and the moonlight backlit the sky so beautifully. And for the first time, we kissed. My fate was changing.

In subsequent years, my boyfriend presented me with some grand gestures on Valentines Day. One year I came home from work to find the outside of our house decorated in big pink and red cardboard cutout hearts. And there were big letters spelling out “I love you, Sarah.”

And on Valentines Day 1999, my boyfriend and I once again found ourselves out on that same Coronado beach, this time in between shows. And as he nervously stammered (making me worry that he was breaking up with me) he mustered up the nerve to propose to me.

Because my husband is an actor/ writer, we’ve had the luxury of spending a lot of time together. I mean, a LOT. We are very used to being in each other’s company. This is a lovely thing except for when it comes to holidays. Because when you’re doing what you love with the person you love all the time, isn’t every day a holiday?

So the grand gestures have diminished. They’re just not as important. What is pretty awesome is that I get to go to sleep every night and wake up every morning with a man who knows me better then anyone else. He tolerates my insane mood swings, has added laughter to my every day life, held me through my anxieties and losses, been an amazing father to our boys, and always been there to tell me it was all going to be ok. Always.

I’ll take that over a box of chocolates any day.

I hope this day has you enjoying all the love that surrounds you~ whether it be from a partner, child, friend or pet. Take a moment to recognize that love is available to us all, if we call it to us.

In loving,

Sarah