Valentine's Day of the past

...a little story...




Valentine’s Day of the past


I find myself remembering how it was for me as a child, the shy and overly sensitive girl I was –well, always - and still am to this day.

This Valentine’s Day just passed has made me remember another one that was a little upsetting to me. Not uncommon for me in those days! :) I can smile now –but then- it was a real hurtful feeling!

As was the way in our school we had a fancy box, decorated with frilly crepe paper and cut out hearts. In this box, with a cut out slit in the top, the students could drop Valentine cards in for other classmates. At the end of the day we had a little party, with cup cakes and punch, and the teacher opened the box and passed out the cards.

I was relieved that I had a small stack of cards in envelopes, when the passing out of cards was over. I was afraid I wouldn’t get any, as I was new to the school; having transferred to this school a few weeks after the term had started. Making friends had never been easy for me, due to my extreme shyness, mostly.The fact that we moved a lot made it harder.

The bell rang, ending the school day before we had a chance to open all of our cards. On the walk home I was happily going through my several cards, feeling good that I hadn’t been left out. :)

The good feeling ended, abruptly, when I opened the last card to find an empty envelope. I felt someone had played a mean trick on me and wondered who among my classmates would want to do such a thing …to give me an empty envelope! Tears came easy to me in those early years… but I fought them and continued my walk home. It crossed my mind the trickster might be watching, as several kids walked along the route I took home.

At home, instead of just throwing the empty envelope away, I examined it again. To my surprise I found the little Valentine was there, after all, but turned facing the back of the envelope, giving the appearance of being empty!

Funny -the things we remember from our childhoods… but not so funny the very real hurts and insecurities children go through! They are real at the time!

This photo is ME at that time! Grade 5 ! 1953 -I was age 11.


Ahh - but since then I have had many, many Happy Valentine’s Days! :)

Junie