A Valentine to Remember

The subject for this week is Valentine's Day and though we don't really celebrate Valentine's Day, I do have a memory that I think you will enjoy.

The photo above is of my first husband, Lynn. He was my childhood sweetheart. We met when I was 8 years old and moved from the one-room school to the two-room school. He and my brother became friends and from there friendships grew.

We also became close friends and we spent a lot of time together. I was not one of the popular girls in school and I had a crush on this young man. I was always happy when he came around to visit my brother.

I was always nervous when Valentine's Day came around. At school, we always had a Valentines box and on the morning of the celebration, we brought our Valentine's to school and placed them in the box. For some reason I was always afraid that I wouldn't get any. Some years I got quite a few and other years were not so good.

One year, I received a Valentine that had no name on the back. It was a sweet card that said, "Please Be Mine," within a heart. There was a boy and girl on the card holding hands. I had no idea who it could be from. It wasn't long until I found out. The next weekend, Lynn told me that it was he who had placed the Valentine in the box with my name on it. Being rather shy, he didn't want the other kids to find out and tease us, so he sent it anonymously. I was very pleased. Until then, I had no idea if he liked me or not. Now I was sure he did.

When I was sixteen and Lynn was nineteen, we married. Three years later we had our daughter, Michelle.

Lynn passed away on December 31, 1977 at approximately 3am. He was 33 and had inherited a rare heart disease from his father, who had died at 43.

I still think of him often and I think you will see quite a resemblence between him and Brandon. He looks so much like his Grandpa Lynn did when we were kids. I think of him often and will never forget that Valentine's Day when I received the anonymous card asking, "Please Be Mine."

If you would like to join the I Remember When meme, please visit Speaking from the Heart. It's a lot of fun stepping back in time through our memories.

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Anni at Hootin' Anni's is celebrating her birthday today. Happy Birthday, dear Friend. Please accept this card as a token of our friendship.

Please drop over and wish Anni a Happy Birthday. If you have never visited her site, you are in for a real treat.