Happy Valentimes

"Happy Valentimes, Daddy! Happy Valentimes!" His chubby cheeks and brown eyes beamed with excitement as he shoved a homemade card and gift into my hands as I walked through the door after a trying day at work.

Biting back the correction that threatened to jump from my throat, I plastered a smile on my face, dropped my gear on the kitchen floor, and picked up my older son. "Happy Valentines Day, son!" I said, overemphasizing the last syllable before kissing his cheek. It went right over his head. He just squeezed my neck.

"How was work, Daddy?" he asked as I set him down. He asked every day, but the answer wasn't important to him. He heard Momma ask, so he did, too.

"Meh, it was rough, Wee One," I said, "but I'm glad to be home. You made it all better."

His face lit up like a Christmas tree. "I did? How did I make it all better, Daddy?"

I picked up my gear and moved to the den. He followed so he could hear my answer. When I sat in my easy chair, he climbed into my lap. "You made it all better with your gift and your smile," I said. "How was your day, Wee One?"

"Oh, it was fun! Momma took me to school, and we made Valentimes cards and gifts and we had cookies and punch and played games and then we came home!" he said all in one breath. "Look at all the Valentimes cards I got!" He jumped down from my lap and ran to his book bag. When he returned, I saw that the bag was completely full of cards.

"Wow, Wee One! Where did all of those come from?"

"From my classmates, and from my friends in other classes, Daddy! And from the teachers, and the people in the office, and even the principal!"

My wife joined us in the den as our son was talking, and she had a sweet smile on her face. I said to the boy, "Even the principal? Did he give a card to everyone?"

Our boy beamed again. "Nope! Just me!" His momma laughed.

"Why are you laughing, Momma?"

"Do you think there's a reason why the principal gave you a card and no one else?" she said. She winked at me as she said it.

"Well, of course, Momma! It's because I'm espesha..espeksha..super good!" he finished.

"Uh-huh," Momma said. "Is that all, Wee One?" she said, using my nickname for him. "There's no other reason the principal gave you a card and nobody else?" She stared keenly at our little boy.

"Well, uh, um, er.." he looked at me. I laughed and said nothing. He folded his arms and sat down.

Momma smiled at him. "You don't suppose that he gave you one because he loves you because you're his nephew?"

The Wee One blushed. "Oh, well, that. Well, I suppose if you put it that way, yes, I guess there's that."

Momma and I roared with laughter. I stood and scooped the boy into my arms. "Oh, Wee One, you're such a blessing!"

+ + + + + + + +

I think back to that day often. Our little boy brought joy like that into our lives almost every day. Oh, there were days when he was disobedient and difficult, of course, but the lighthearted outweighed the somber 10 to 1.

He never got over calling February 14th "Valentimes" Day, and I never stopped trying to fix his understanding of it, but maybe he knew the difference and pronounced it that way on purpose. In fact, I believe that's what he eventually decided to do, partly to drive his Daddy crazy, and partly because he believed the love was more important than the day.

Our Wee One was only seven years old that day. We had no idea that he had already lived more than half his life