It’s hard to believe that we’re in the month of February and that hubs and I are in our little casita for two months already. Gratitude makes time fly by fast and helps us zero in on the important things in life, like appreciating thoughtfulness from others, the little things that make us laugh, and taking time to slow down and do at least one thing we enjoy.

I always like to have something to look forward to, whether it’s something fun like playing cards, reading a good book, or watching a favorite movie; visiting with a special person; or maybe even just decluttering or taking time to rest. In February, I look forward to not just Valentine’s Day but more especially the anniversary of mine and hubs’ first date.

On Valentine’s Day in 1987, I visited my momma and told her I had met the man I would marry. She was like, “oh, that’s wonderful,” and “how long have y’all been dating?” And I was like, “oh, we haven’t had a first date yet…we haven’t even had a first conversation yet.”

Yeah, can you believe that? Well, three days later, we were going to the San Antonio Livestock Show & Rodeo together. I had marched myself into his office to ask him to dinner, and he took the opportunity to ask me to the rodeo – that night. Of course, as you can imagine, there’s a whole lot more to the story.

Since then, we have celebrated this monumental day in different ways – by going to the rodeo again, having movie night, and going to dinner – usually on a different day than Valentine’s Day though. We are not big-crowd people so, as we got older, we stopped going to the rodeo and fighting the crowds, traffic, and being out late at night.

This year is up in the air on how we’ll celebrate the 37th anniversary of our first date – we might have lunch at a nice restaurant in a local town, or we might just grill. Whatever we do though, I’ll be happy spending time with the man who can make me laugh – even when I don’t want to, lol.

Do you have plans for Valentine’s Day? Maybe you don’t have someone special right now. Maybe it’s just spending the day with your mom or your dad, or even a sibling. I’ve done that many times before and have had a great time. Special celebrations are all about enjoying the moment and being grateful for our loved one(s) and the time we get to spend with them.

This year, Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day, so hubs will come to Mass with me at noon and then join me at the church fish fry for lunch. So whereas, sometimes, we celebrate both Valentine’s Day and the anniversary of our first date together, this year we’ll be celebrating each separately.

Being grateful puts a positive spin on what would otherwise be ordinary and moves our focus from stressful ordeals to joyous moments. When we choose joy and being grateful, we move forward with hope and a life filled with laughter and good times.

What are you being grateful for in the month of February?

Love & hugs, Virg