It's been cold here. I hate it. It makes me a mean Mom who at 9 am the entire street can hear, "GET IN THE CAR!"
But LOVE is in the air.
As I was getting the house set up for cubscouts, Juju yells, "it's the boy, Mom!" I knew she was referring to one or both of the cute little boys who live two houses up from us. They go to church with us and occasionally (when the weather is warmer) wander to our house to play with our outside toys. Juju adores them and waves to them whenever she can.
As I peek outside, I don't see any boys on the sidewalk fronting our house and assume that they're already on their way home. Juju keeps looking out window and I assume it's because my friend arrived to help me with cubscouts. Yet, my friend lingers outside and I can't figure why since it was 40 degrees out there. She was talking to someone and it was then that I saw litte OliNie's face peek out from the side of the garage. Apparently he was trying to hide when Juju and my friend caught him. He explained that he was just doing what his Mom told him to do.
He had left a flower and a cute Valentine on our front door step. The back of the Valentine said, "LUV." Juju was smitten and couldn't believe that she (we) received a Valentine.
Coincidentally, we happen to be making sugar cookies for cubscouts, so she reciprocated by making sugar cookies with vanilla frosting, sprinkles, and heart shaped candies. One for OliNie and the other for his brother NicNie. She and Boo walked up to their house to deliver them. Juju walked right up to the door and knocked. The big sisters answered and asked if she wanted to come in to play. Juju however was on a mission--she politely said, "OliNie please." Then gave him the cookies and came home.
What a kind surprise we received from a neighbor I've spoken to only a few times.
To me, this is the meaning of Valentine's day. To give a bright spot to someone's day...especially when it's a cold, cold, February day.
