I was so excited! I was in
grade two and could not imagine a happier occasion. I knew then, this was going
to be the best Valentine's Day ever!
At dawn, I whispered to my
older sister, "Wake up! It's Valentine's Day!" She was not about to be
awakened from a sound sleep. Being older by two years, and inclined to think
much differently than I did, she opened and closed her eyes, rolled over and
went back to sleep. (Now I realize that our chronological clocks were
different.)
"I am getting up!" I
said, quietly. No one else was up yet, but
that did not matter. There was a beautiful, February sunrise, which I enjoyed
thoroughly while sitting by our kitchen window having breakfast. Mom had left a plate of freshly
baked, cinnamon buns on the table, and so I feasted on one with a glass of
milk. It was Valentine's Day, so why not celebrate.
I could hear Mom getting up and
she smiled at me, as she came through the kitchen.
"Good morning!" she
said, quietly. She always enjoyed her own quiet time early in the morning,
before everyone else got up.
By then, I was busy cutting out
valentines from my new, Valentine's Day book. First, I cut out a large
valentine for my teacher and signed it carefully. I could not write well
yet, (probably because I never learned how to hold my pencil properly); nor did
I did know how to spell my friend's names, but being seven years old, I was
able to put my name on each valentine. Everybody I liked at school was
going to get a Valentine from me. There were just enough for my family, too.
The ones for my friends, I put in a paper bag to take to with me.
Our Valentine's Day party was
going to start at 3 pm, that afternoon. Mom was coming with the small babies,
and I would look after them while she played the piano for our party. My older
sister would be bringing the Valentine's Day cookies that we had made and
decorated the night before. They looked so pretty!
Dressed in a red and white,
polka dot, hand-me-down pinafore worn by my older sister, with Mom's
permission, I headed off to our one room schoolhouse next door early. By then,
everyone else was just getting ready for school. I knew that my teacher, who
lived at the school during the week, was an early riser.
Just as I suspected, she was
busy putting up Valentine's Day decorations. She greeted me warmly and welcomed
my help to put up red and white crepe paper streamers on the blackboards and
around several of the doorways. I also helped her put a banner at the front of
the classroom that said 'Happy Valentine's Day'. Together, we put some large,
red valentines and flowers that some older students had cut out on the bulletin
board.
By the time our school day
started, everything was ready! While there were only four of us in grade two,
we had been working on a skit for the Valentine's Day party and we were almost
ready to perform it, but it still needed a bit more work.
At recess time that afternoon,
I placed a Valentine on my teacher's desk and then, one on each of my friend's
desks.
The party went perfectly. Mom
played the piano so beautifully while we all sang 'O Canada'. I was so proud of
her. Our little skit went really well too, as did the other student's special
songs and verses. Then, we all helped ourselves to hot chocolate and cookies.
I was delighted to find a big
valentine on my own desk. I did not know who had sent it. It was the best one I
received. Who had sent it? At first, I was uncertain, but let's say, it was a
beautiful Valentine, one that made my day into the best Valentine's Day ever!
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