valentines

Flowers and cookies from him, cheddar bacon biscuits from me -- we've never been much for Valentine's gifts, but we each went to the other's favorite bakery to gather some sweets.  I've grown to love this day, a bright spot in the middle of winter.  We always eat chicken and waffles and drink wine and remember how we started the tradition, all those years ago, in my tiny box of a studio apartment with a folding table and mismatched plates.

I spent the afternoon working at home, typing emails from the couch and watching the birds fly 'round the skylights.  I spent hours thinking about how to soften, to be less rigid, to be less headstrong in the face of conflict, to be more forgiving -- the things I'm striving for in this season.  Mostly, I spent the time feeling lucky to be so loved in spite of (because of) those flaws.