Lola wrote the other day about how she was "forgotten" on Valentine's Day by her classmates when she was a child, and how her teacher made a special Valentine just for her to make her feel better. That set off a memory for me of when Colin was in third grade and had a similar experience.
A certain popular girl decided that instead of ignoring my son, she would give him a Valentine--one that read "If Valentine's were boogers, I'd pick you".
Nice, eh? Yeah, sweet little Rebecca Nelson. To this day, I wonder how she somehow felt better about herself giving him something so nasty and demeaning rather than ignoring him completely. And then I wonder about the company that would make such a Valentine for children and the parent that bought these for their kid to pass out to their "friends". I guess I'm a buzzkill because I was just infuriated that this kid actually signed her name to that card and gave it to my son. I hate her for that and I think I always will. Heck, it's been 9 years and I still get mad thinking about it.
I don't like that Valentine's Day is always pushed as a holiday for couples. Can't love be for everyone regardless of romantic love? Hallmark has certainly invested heavily into love for everyone, but really, most of the media insists it's only for couples.
I think Valentine's Day should be a day for kindness, friendship, and love. Can't there be more levels of love acknowledged? How about love of humankind--being kind to someone else or doing something nice for someone on that day? Or love of family? Or love of self? How about we just give each other a break for a day and make an effort to just be nice?
So, in contrast to Rebecca Nelson, I'm going to smile at the clerk who rings me out or wave over the dude who wants to cut me off in my car. I'm gonna forgive the knucklehead who dumps his ashtray in the street and ignore the barking dog next door. I may even ignore the fact that my teens won't get out of bed before noon and my husband insists on watching sport until his eyeballs fall out.
Happy Valentine's Day, pallies. May you find love in its various forms today and every day. May love be shown to you in the form of friendship and kindness as well as the flowers and candy you may receive. Go, be nice to someone today--you never know if that mean old Rebecca Nelson is out there ruining the day for them.
(Thanks to my pally, Chuck, for the cartoon)
27 comments:
I've never been big on mushy stuff so I kind of like old Rebecca's sentiments...lol Sorry I can't help myself.
Happy Valentines Day to you, let the love flow :)
Awwwwwwwwwww thanks :-) for that post.
Um, have you ever stopped to consider that sweet little Rebecca may have really liked boogers back then? I know I used to, and not just to pick, neither. TMI?
wonderful post-- you've got the real spirit of Valentines Day going here-- love and forgiveness. Soomething tells me this is a lesson Rebecca still hasn't learned nine years later-- poor Rebecca and Happy Valentines Day to you and your kids
Happy Valentine's Day! ::smooch!::
Happy Valentine's Day!
At our house Valentines Day is for the whole family. Anastasia and I go out separately on our little shopping trips for each other and we always get something for the kids. Even if it's just a silly $1 box of chocolates.
I don't see much use to this particular "holiday" even tho my husband and I celebrate it as our wedding anniversary because our wedding totally sucked - which is what happens when the bride has absolutely no say in any of it...oh let's not go there LOL
Ann--I think her sentiments are fine if directed towards the holiday and not towards the quiet kid in her class who was already the bully target. I think it was intentional and mean. Go ahead and hate the holiday--but don't be mean to others.
Helene--Wishing you love, Helene. :)
Fish--I don't consider much when it comes to Rebecca, Fish. I consider her a nasty girl....still. Booger-loving or not. Here's to love, pally.
Pink--Wishing you love on this day, Pinkpackrat! Welcome to a new pally. :)
Daisy--Love to you and Harley, Daisy!
Split Rock--Happy love to you and yours, Split Rock!
Lola--Us too! We have a nice dinner and everyone gets a small gift before dinner. We all need more love, don't we? :)
Grace--Good for you celebrating love in spite of bad memories! Enjoy your day then, Grace. Smoochies....
Did that girl grow up to be a comedian? It was a mean thing to write in 3rd grade, but in hindsight doesn't it seem kind of, I don't know, funny? Anyhow, kids can be some of the meanest people around and I can remember enforced Valentine's Day activities at school giving me the hives; though I was a sweet kid, it brought out what little mean streak I had (I won't delve into incriminating details). Defense mechanism or something, I guess.
Happy V-Day,
James
http://zheist.blogspot.com
Thanks :-) It got bad Friday night and has gone downhill since. Oh well, tomorrow is Monday and not Valentine's Day :-)
My hubby actually remembered and gave me flowers. Now I just have to keep Sherpa from eating them....
Stupid rooster didn't cut me any slack today. Attacked my hand out of nowhere. Stupid male person says he will dispatch stupid rooster when he has time. I wait with bruised body....
Yes... the best love is the universal kind... even for the ones who think we are the boogers caught in the nosehairs of the universe.
Hopefully Rebecca Nelson is celebrating home alone today as she deserves. Wishing love to everyone else! Happy Valentines Day to you and your family!
I agree ~ love should be shown every day ~ not just one day a year. Indeed ~ very good thoughts.
Valentine is for love--for cats, for dogs, for nieces, for nephews, for flowers....you get my drift....
Hope your day is lovely!!!
James--I'm a mom and I will never think that Valentine was funny. But that is the difference between Mom's and Dad's--Dad's see that as innocent kid fun. I'd like to murder that kid when I see her--even now.
Helene--Oh, pally, I'm sorry. The holiday is almost over---just hang on.
Pricilla--Uh oh, sounds like fried chicken this week for dinner. Would you feel bad eating him? I think I still would, but it would be sweet revenge.
Sharky--Karma, eh?
Beaded Tail--Did you just exclude Rebecca Nelson in your VD wishes??! Yeah! (snicker) Happy Day to you all at Beaded Tail.
Catherine--All we need is love, right? :) Well, maybe just some kindness.
Will Oaks--It all counts, doesn't it? I took a nap with both Grace and Hobbes on the bed today--now if THAT isn't love, I don't know what is. :)
I've always looked at it as a Hallmark made up holiday, anyways. It's the little things that you do on a day to day basis that mean something, not overpriced flowers, KWIM?
We don't celebrate Valentine's Day at our house. Our anniversary is Feb 29th so we spend a week or more celebrating that when there aren't crowds at every restaurant. It's our own special holiday that we don't have to share with anyone else.
I'm sorry you're still so mad at Rebecca. I certainly understand it! I've been mad at people who dissed me in school for decades. The problem with it is that she's not affected at all by your anger, but it eats you up inside. Took me a really long time to come around to that way of thinking. And really I'm still not all the way there yet. Some names or faces make me so mad I could.... but I don't.
Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours. Hope it's been a happy, loving day.
Storm--I like the flowers and little presents for all of us at this time of year--my mom used to do that for us when we were young. It's such a gloomy time of year, so it is a little pick-me-up. But like Sweetest Day--I can do without that. I'm with you on the Hallmark holiday thing.
Clara--I like that your anniversary is so close and that you make a big deal over that instead. (Happy Anniversary, pally!) And as for Rebecca, I had actually forgotten the incident until I read Lola's story, so I just remembered it and how mean it was of her. Mom's probably remember the mean things that kids do to our kids more than the kids remember, right? I'm like an elephant--I don't forget. But don't worry, it doesn't eat at me.
Happy Valentines Day!!
Stephanie--Hey, Happy VD to you too! I hope it was a good one. :)
A day to just be nice to everyone would be an excellent holiday. Valentine's Day would be perfect for that one. So Happy Valentine's Day to you.
My Valentine's Day post had exactly the same sentiments as yours. After all, who needs a Valentine when you've got kitties? Okay, maybe the sentiment is sort of remotelly related to what you said. Kind of.
P.S. I would scratch this Rebecca human if I could track her down. What a yukky kid, probably grew up to be a horrid adult. My human says that kids like that one are the reason she has NO illusions about kids or childhood. She was one of the picked-on ones too.
Ratty--Happy Valentines, Ratty!
Sparkle--Give me a Valentines smoochie from the kitty any day! :) Yeah, I think we all have a Rebecca in our lives, don't we.
Happy belated Valentine's Lin! I stayed glued to the TV yesterday between bouts of spring cleaning. I know you are one to believe in that too- I just figured if this was all the break we were getting, why not just clean now?
Anyway, here's what I think about Rebecca McMeanie- Face. People who spread ill will never truly find happiness and peace no matter where life takes them. As a human being, you just can't achieve it unless you experience selflessness by way of giving of yourself to others no matter what. So even though she got a cheap joke on Collin, she won't get the last laugh unless she has come to put in more than she takes out. Just my 2 cents.
Aww, I hate Rebecca too. I'm sure you could probably find her on Facebook and say something mean back. Nah, that wouldn't be funny.
Happy belated V day. Hope yours was great!
Post a Comment