The Valentine’s Fairy

The Valentine’s Fairy

Valentine’s Day has always been my favorite day of the year. It’s simple. It’s about love.

In the years when I was on my own, Valentine’s Day could be confusing, empty, hopeful, Hallmark-y and weirdly laced with pressure. Once I partnered and had my babies, all that changed.

It began with Indy when she was nine months old; her first Valentine’s Day. I got a lot of pink and red construction paper and cut out hearts of all sizes. It required lots and lots of hearts to create a trail of hearts that led from her crib all the way across the catwalk, down the stairs, through the great room into the kitchen to the base of her highchair. There in the tray were a few more hearts sprinkled around a little gift with a note from the Valentine Fairy.

Every year, there were more hearts to be cut out to refresh the trail leading to a doily with a heart drawn around “Indy & The Valentine Fairy, 4/ever” with the requisite Cupid’s arrow through it.

As time went on, the Valentine Fairy’s trail led from Indy’s bed and Hallie’s crib, then Indy and Hallie’s bed and Liberty’s crib and ultimately three trails merging just outside of their bedrooms into one trail of hearts leading across the catwalk and down those same stairs to their cozy chairs in the family room with a love note and little gift from the Valentine Fairy.

As they each went off to college, travelled the world and lived near and far, the Valentine Fairy followed them. Every now and then, one would ask if the Valentine Fairy would be coming this year given the distance. “The Valentine Fairy”, I said, “will always be able to find her way to you, no matter where in the world you may be.”

I send a text now, at the request of the Valentine Fairy, giving a head’s up that she’s winging her way to Brooklyn, San Diego and San Francisco. Each package she carries contains some of the hearts collected over all those years from her magical trails. Her love is forever…

Would you share with me some of your special rituals on Valentine’s Day?
I would so love to hear them!