Valentine's Day Remembrances

Keepsake: Something kept or given to be kept as a memento.

Presents sometimes fall into the category of a keepsake . . . some do . . . some don’t. My grandmother once sent me an Oral Roberts bible with my name stamped on the cover in gold: Donnie Doman. Although it stayed in the family for decades, it was not really a keepsake. My mother had my baby shoes bronzed and made into bookends. I have them. They are a little dusty. For awhile they held DVDs. Now, they just sit. I can’t imagine passing them on to anyone in the family when I die, but in the meantime, they sit by themselves on a shelf. When they catch my eye, I think of my mom, which is a comfort.

My bronzed baby shoes are heavy weight keepsakes.

Valentine’s Day is a keepsake holiday. In grade school at Stanley Elementary we shared Valentines with our fellow students. I don’t recall doing that later at Park Lodge, nor any other educational step since.

I think it was first grade Valentine Day cards that first introduced me to puns. Thank you, Saint Valentine.

As a loving husband with a loving wife, especially in the trying times of COVID, this sharing seems like one of the grandest things to do. I’m not talking about a trip, a night on the town, nor a piece of jewelry (although we’ve done all of these things), a personal, make-it-yourself note, card, or something meaningful is enough to be a keepsake and what I am working on. I’m aiming for heartfelt and creative, but just short of having my size 12 6E oxfords bronzed.