SHOWING THE LOVE

I was standing in front of my son Alex's bedroom door, ready to tape a pink heart to it, when the door opened. Alex was standing there looking at me as I held the pink heart up in the air. “I was just ready to put this on your door but...” I shrugged my shoulders. “here you go.” I handed it to him instead.

Alex looked at the heart and read what I'd written on it out loud. “I love your three pat hugs.”

Alex looked back at me and smiled. “Ah, thanks.” He leaned over and gave me a hug, with his three pats to my back, before going back into his room with the note.

I followed him in and saw that he had a pile of the notes I'd been leaving him. “Ahhh, you're keeping them?”

“Sure.” Alex looked confused. “Why wouldn't I?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I thought you were throwing them out after you were done reading them.”

Alex looked surprised. “That wouldn't be very nice of me.”

“Oh, wait. I didn't mean it that way!” I looked back at the pile of pink hearts on his side table next to his computer. “I've been leaving them on your Dad closet door too. He hasn't said a lot about them but I know he likes them because he's left them all up.” I looked over at Alex and smiled. “You, on the other hand, came out every night and held the note out and thanked me.” I shrugged my shoulders again. “I just figured the two of you had different ways of showing me you liked them and I wrongly assumed your way was telling me thank you and than tossing them.”

“Well, see I surprised you again!”

I smiled. “You did.” I thought back to the first of the month when I started the notes. “You know, I've had fun thinking of things I like about my guys. It's made leading up to Valentine's Day fun.”

Alex looked surprised. “We've never made Valentine's Day a big deal around here before.”

“I know.” I sighed. “It's just that when I read an article about doing this for the days leading up Valentines Day, I sat down and started to think of different things I like about you guys.” I looked back at the pile of hearts. “The list came out so quickly that it seemed silly not to do it.” I looked back at Alex and smiled. “Well, it's time for me to put your Dad's note up before I go to bed.” I leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.

Alex smiled. “Does that mean you want me to do this for you next year?”

“No, but maybe when you're ready to throw them out you can give them to me instead.”

“Sure.” Alex looked confused. “So you can use them again next year?”

I had to laugh. “Kind of. But not the way you think.”

Alex still looked confused.

“I want to remember what I said this year so I don't repeat myself next year.” I smiled as I headed to his door. “I'm pretty sure I can think of 14 new things I like about you for next year.”