Eat Your Heart Out Hallmark

Valentine from LDL Bunch

I've been walking on air since Saturday when the postman delivered the wonderful Valentine that last week's LDL attendees made for me.

I've seldom been this excited about a valentine since I received my first one in Miss Chalk's class at Elizabeth school in...oh....1942 (or was it 1842 ?)

Anyway, there were a number of reasons why it went straight to my heart. The main one was, of course, from whom it was sent. And it came from A LOT OF WHOMS!  All of them having been my friends for close to three quarters of our lives!



One valentine. Signed by 30 or so friends.

Not only that, but it was "homemade;" written and signed on a sheet of blue lined paper from a yellow legal pad, (also known as "Old Yeller)  by far the most commonly used writing paper in the free world and in my opinion, the most sincere writing paper in existence.  Everything from bank robbers' notes to President Nixon's resignation speech have been written on those yellow sheets.

That, fellow Wildcats,  was a NUCLEAR valentine!

When you care to send....you know

The "homemade" aspect of personal notes has long been a favorite subject of mine. And not just because an inordinate amount of time God allotted to me on this earth has been used up waiting for, first my mother, then my wife, to pick out birthday,  get well, congratulations, etc cards from the Hallmark display at the grocery store, but because I sincerely feel that store bought cards are  a little ....uh......plastic.

From the neighbor girls

From a grandchild

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate those assembly line cards, they're OK, and certainly you don't want to send a "straight from the heart home made message" to your boss, or someone you're not real close to. They would think you were nuts.  But for family and friends (especially those who have hung in for 60 years or so)  Home made is best!

Even if you can't draw a straight line, like me, and have no idea what word rhymes with another, "home made"   ROCKS!

If you don't believe me, check out your own kitchen  and tell me what kind of notes are enshrined on your refrigerator of fame.

Of course most of them are from your children and grandchildren. However if more people discover the secret of hitting the bulls eye on the hearts of old friends with your written arrows of love, like the LDL bunch did for me last week, the sales of refrigerator magnets will go out the roof!

Luckily, I had a spare for my latest addition.


Oh, by the way.............