Valentine's Eve

Valentine's eve, I knew it would sneak up eventually. Its just a date. So far there's been 176 dates. I don't think it will be noticeable here in India. But it's still resides in my heart and mind. It travels with me like all dates, like Amanda does in my heart.

Amanda in one of her shirt designs for her degree course and one of our Venetian Mask from our Honeymoon.
She looks beautiful!

Amanda and I didn't really buy in to the commercial side of Valentine's, but I always ended up planning something romantic for her, for us.

It always involved making at least one card the day before. More often than not it was two, one funny and one romantic with a rhyme or poem, reminding her how much I loved her. She never really needed reminding....she knew how loved and adored she was. It was something we shared regularly. Not just the words 'Love You' in passing, but really holding one another's eyes, looking deep within. Sometimes those three little words weren't even required. The feeling was deeper and more intense than any spoken word could match. Go sit and look in to the eyes of your partner for one full minute this evening..... Stay until you feel the love pouring out. It's beautiful.

Amanda would also allow her craft skills to come out, and I'd receive a hand made card, sometimes slightly recycled, one she'd kept from the year before and reworked, ha ha! Whatever it was it always made me smile, and what ever she wrote always moved me. She chose her words beautifully and carefully. That was Amanda.

So here I am in Pune, near Mumbai. I'm sat over looking the city from the 8^th floor of The Meridien Hotel. Titch, here on business, has been kind enough to allow me to use his room for writing. I've been working for 7 hours straight, writing travel articles then submitting them to various papers, magazines and websites hoping for that lucky break. Amanda would tell me to keep at it, have faith, if you believe you will succeed that's exactly what happens, she'd assure me. She would remove my hesitancy and fear replacing it with self belief. Amanad was great at instilling positivity within others.

Tomorrow there'll be no cards and cuddles in the morning.

There'll be no finer than normal home cooked romance filled meal for two.

There'll just be me.

It's been like that for some time now.

Valentine's Day, a valuable commercial ruse, can be used as a gentle reminder to refocus on what so many of us take for granted each day. Someone to share with, someone who we cherish, someone who cherishes us. Someone we want to share everything with, someone we want to spend as much time with as we can. Someone so special we wouldn't think twice about laying our own life on the line to save theirs. But remember it should just be a reminder.... Every day with your partner is precious, a joy to behold. So behold each day, treasure every moment. The ups the downs, the laughter, the tears. One day hopefully many many years from now there will come a time where it will be just one of you remembering, reminiscing about the touch of a hand, the caress of a face. The warm breath on your neck. That gentle whisper, the spoken word, or the cheeky giggle.

There'll be tears with these memories. Some will be sad, but some may be warm tears, ones that are generated from the memories of smiles, laughter, giggles and fun. This evening there have been both. My eyes are currently rest in a misty purgatory between the sadness of my wife no longer walking with us all here on earth and those beautiful memories created from our time shared together.

Love with all your heart and all your worth, be courageous and free. There is nothing to fear when love is true and whole. You are blessed.

Keep well.

Mark

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