A Valentine for Dads and Moms

A tradition you might want to snatch up:

One of my favorite memories with my Dad occurred every February. We’d come home from school with our white paper bags full of Valentine’s cards and we’d snuggle up to Dad on the couch as he would read our Valentine cards aloud.  Dad would take each one out of the bag, unfold it, read it aloud, fold it back up, and return it to the bag. This was like a liturgy to me; it connected me to the other students in my class as I listened to their kind words over and over again (even if they did just sign their names at the bottom of a Strawberry Shortcake card), and it connected me to my Dad as he learned the names of my classmates (and could probably recite them to this day), and took an interest in my childhood community. In my memory, we read through them every night, many nights in a row. I’d keep my little white bag close by and jump at the chance to savor Valentine’s love over and over again.