How are you spending your 02-24-2024?
I’ve spent the day reflecting on an art gig I had for a Galentine’s Day brunch in the Pacific Palisades. I was hired to paint portraits as a take-home gift, and even though it wasn’t the International Spring Break Art Show I envisioned myself in, (I was a finalist, but didn’t make the final cut) I couldn’t help but embrace the joy and duality of love and loss in Valentines Days long past. These younger moms with Kindergarten-age children have just begun their friendships, forming bonds through school auctions, fundraising, volunteering, and arts and crafts. What a great idea to celebrate themselves at the beginning of this venture. I was so proud to tell them “My best friends are the women I met when my kids were in preschool.” I hope they felt comfortable, and not self-conscious as I attempted to hand-cut their silhouettes. I wanted to portray them as the beautiful, kind, and loving moms and girlfriends that they are.
I texted my friend group (we call ourselves the Fireflies, a sort of unintentionally sentimental name) and suggested we do a Galentine’s Brunch next year. We all started texting silly photos and memories of our time together— there were so many memories filled with hearts, glue, flowers, and cupcakes. When there wasn’t much time for romance, friendship was the love we craved, relating to one another about the chaos of parenthood. I was sandwiched between that and caregiving for my mother with Alzheimer’s.
Right now, my husband Allen is in France visiting my daughter Sunny for her 21st birthday. I’m here in California taking his 96-year-old mother to the dentist, and helping my 16-year-old daughter Gidget tie a red ribbon around her ponytail while taking photos of our dogs with their heart-shaped ID tags to commemorate this day of love.
I sent Allen a photo of me in a Betsy Johnson sleeveless dress back when our preschool had a Valentine’s Day fundraiser with the Pussy Cat Dolls and Slash as the headliners (I live in LA—this is very normal) and he texts back, “Yum (heart emoji).” He has a stomach ache, but is still going to meet Sunny and her boyfriend Martin later for dinner, I tell him to cancel and let them spend the rest of V day by themselves….“Right.” He texts back. Sunny’s not his Valentine anymore. Now the young love birds get to spend the night alone in their little atelier in Paris making dinner. I told her to light a candle and remember that they are in the most romantic city in the world… embrace it, and him!
Every Valentine’s Day is different and unique to where we are in our lives at the time. The love can be sexy, it can be kind, it can be shown through a text or even wearing a hair net.
It can be red (taken) or pink (available) with ribbons, felt in the softness of the curl in a little girl’s hair wearing pink heart pajamas, or in the sweetness of a handmade valentine. I found it today in the making of an egg salad sandwich for my husband’s mother. Wherever you are in this heart-shaped journey, know that it will always be one to remember.
Here is an excerpt from my blog about me and my family with my Mom Peggy on Valentine’s Day 2011.
Love is a Rose....
We went to Sunrise yesterday for Valentine's Day dinner. It was lovely, just like last year. Here is a little movie of it: The girls get dressed up, we get to the dining room and Beverly is here from Milwaukee. Peggy came in, and she responded to everything lovely. We gave her big hugs and kisses, and she smiled. Sunny handed her a rose.... and she ate it.
It's okay to laugh. We did. Happy Valentine's Day everyone.
Valentines Days to Remember