A sweet, sweet holiday

Cupid, with his chubby cheeks and cherub-who-ate-the-bon-bonsmile, would have approved of the way Molly and I celebrated Valentine’s Day this year.
Molly set the tone by whipping up a batch of cherry pie cookies for her friends and generously offering Vince and me the misshapen but still tasty leftovers. Breakfast.
I picked her up from school and we headed over to the-little-shop-that-every-neighborhood-should-have,Wilmar’s Chocolates. We picked up a Valentine treat for Molly’s piano teacher and enjoyed a double chocolate meltaway because the sweet lady holding the sample tray said we could. Then we caught the eye of our good friend Rose, who left her post on the busiest candy store shopping day of the year to give us each a white chocolate covered pretzel and a little chocolate heart. After school snack.
After Molly’s piano lesson, we cruised over to the-little-bakery-that-every-neighborhood-should-have,Simple Simon. There we chatted with the cheery Marion, a 78-year old marvel of energy. She slipped three chocolate cherry cookies into our order of mint chocolate chip brownies. Dessert.
We’ll throw a little extra energy into our workout this morning as we digest all of those tasty treats. And we’ll smile.
Because, while we salute a holiday that features chocolate,we know Valentine’s Day means a little bit more. It gives us the opportunity to celebrate all kinds of love — the kind you feel when you open a homemade card from your daughter, unwrap a bunch of tulips from your husband, read a kind Facebook message, hear a meaningful tune, hug an old friend, savor a sweet memory and taste a chocolate candy.
You have to love a holiday that’s all about love.