Valentine's Day

Yesterday was Valentine's Day.

I'll admit, for all my love of stories, I am not an incredibly romantic person. Sure, I appreciate little gestures of affection, the occasional bouquet of flowers or a nice dinner, but I am far more easily wooed by a new book. But I remember being 16 and feeling incredibly lonely when my friends showed off their gifts from their boyfriends, and I did not want that for the girls I work with. So I stole a page from a friend's book, who in turn had stolen elementary school's book.

I had the girls in my group make little boxes, decorating them with stickers and glitter and paper hearts and markers and paint. They took hours, carefully writing their names, adding cute designs. And then I had them make valentines for every girl in that group, and distribute them in each other's boxes.

There was so much laughter. I saw smiles all around, and over and over I heard a girl proclaim "This is the best Valentine's Day I've had in a long time--I can't believe I'm in a psych ward!"

The most touching part was that they all made me a valentine as well. Reading their little notes, colorfully decorated, I felt a little choked up. I wanted to do something special for them, something that would lighten their sorrow. Instead, they filled me up with love.

And all involved had a lovely Valentine's Day.