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Happy Valentine's Day!

Check out this very interesting post:

In honor of Valentine's Day, we're looking far and wide for the most adorable -- and adorably awkward -- love notes written by children. To start with, here's a cute kid note so charming, we'd like to write a valentine to it ourselves...

CLICK HERE for more.

This evening, I came across THIS FANTASTIC WEBSITE that featured five of their favourite true love stories that had been published previously.

I read each one of them slowly and am still teary...so deeply moved and awed by the love shared by these wonderful persons.

Read about:

Couple Torn Apart By War Reunited Decades Later - This true love story is one of the greatest story of enduring love and my personal favourite!

Coral Rock Castle: The House that Heartbreak Built After getting dumped at the altar, Ed Leedskalnin devoted the rest of his life to building a giant rock monument for his lost love. The weirdest part? He built it with no assistance, even though many of the rocks weigh 30 tons.

Man Proposes to Girlfriend in Video Game - Bernie Peng knew his girlfriend loved video games - so he rigged up a special proposal she was sure to say yes to.

Couple Married for 75 Years Pass Away on the Same Day
The wedding vows say “til death do us part.” But that wasn’t good enough for J.C. and Josie Cox.

Couple Celebrates 50 Years of Once-Forbidden Love
While most young couples held hands on the streets, Laurence and Lena Nelson were forced to hide their relationship. In an era of segregation and blatant racism, it was a dangerous time for an interracial couple to be in love. But for Laurence and Lena, it was worth the risk.

Thank you, Gimundo, for inspiring us to be more than who we are when we love.

Please CLICK HERE to read those five wonderful love stories. You will not be disappointed!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

P.S. Yes, I know I am a hopelessly romantic sentimental old character :-).

I know it is Valentine's Day tomorrow but for a change, I am re-posting the following which is a true story that shows how selfishness and immaturity can rob us of the chance to love....sometimes it may be just too late...

Let us not be carried away by the commercialization of Valentine's Day. There is no necessity to send roses or cards or give expensive presents to our loved ones on this day. Everyday should be Valentine's Day! And we should never fail to tell our loved ones how much we love them.

____________________________

A VALENTINE'S CARD - author unknown-











A year ago today, I had lunch with my boyfriend and took the opportunity to complain to him.

"Today is Valentine's Day. Why didn't you give me any flowers?" He raised his eyebrow.

"Why should I give you flowers? You are not my anyone."

"Then.. you should at least give me a card!" I pouted my lips, hurt by his tone.

"I know, I know. After lunch, I'll send you an e-card."

"E-card??" That sounds so impersonal, but that's the way he is.

"You have to e-mail it to me. I'll be waiting."

I excitedly smiled and planned to sneak home after lunch to check e-mail.

Even though he wouldn't use any romantic words, I still looked forward to the card.

"I'm going back to work. Hurry and send me the card!"

As soon as I walked in my door, I turned on my computer and got online. Staring at the empty inbox, I began to reminisce about how we met.

Maybe no one will believe me, but my boyfriend and I were actually neighbors. Our homes were only 1 wall away. Ever since we were kids, we liked to fight with each other all day long. We were only neighbors. At that time, I hated my parents for making us live next to him. At that time, I had a crush on a senior. After a while, I found out that the senior student had lots of girlfriends. When I cried about it, he silently passed me a handkerchief and awkwardly held me in his arms.

"I told you he wasn't any good." He roughly comforted me.

I cried in his arms the whole night, and began to see him in a different way. Things began to change between us. We still fought all the time, but he started to look at me differently. And I blushed and my heart beat faster when he was near. We both knew: we fell in love with each other.

Even with this knowledge, neither of us said anything. Even though we would not be able to resist and kissed each other constantly.

Even though we cared about each other's every moves. Both of us refused to admit our love. Alright, we became lovers, but we still wouldn't say we loved each other.

We didn't even spend Valentine's Day together until he saw me share dinner with a man one Valentine's Day.

That night, he waited for me in front of my door and said that he would take me out to dinner on Valentine's Day from then on. I have to say that he was very arrogant.

But I nodded and accepted his request. Since then, we spent every Valentine's Day together.

On the surface, we may have left each other. But in reality, we were still together. We spent every Valentine's Day together but each year became more dreary than the next because he never told me he loved me even with all my hints.

Still facing the empty inbox, I suddenly grew very angry. He wouldn't say it and wouldn't send me a card.

What did he mean? Who did he think I was? I called his cell phone.

"Hello." He picked up the phone.

"I didn't receive the card." I immediately showed my pleasure.

"You didn't receive it?" He seemed really busy
.
"But I sent it." He was really busy but I didn't care.

"I didn't receive it. Send it again."

"Okay, I'll send you 100 times. Is that good enough??" He said with impatience.

His tone further infuriated me. Is that how lovers speak to each other?

"Don't bother sending it to me. And you don't have to pick me up tonight. I'll eat dinner by myself."

"Don't be childish, ok? I'm really busy."

"I am childish!" I hung up the phone and tears rolled down my cheeks.

Childish?? Why didn't he consider the situation?

We've gone out for so many years and spent countless Valentine's Day together. I never received any flowers nor cards from him. Now, I just want a little e-card. Is that too much to ask for??

I unplugged the phone from the wall and turned off my cell phone. I didn't want to hear his explanations.

After I returned to the hospital, I instructed the receptionist not to forward me any phone calls. I wanted to concentrate on work. Because there were so many emergencies today, I was sweating 1 hour later and forgot about our argument.

"Dr. Shu, please take a look at that patient." As I was collecting my equipment, the shrill sound of an ambulance sounded outside the ER. When I stepped out the door, the emergency medics hurriedly wheeled in a gurney.

"What happened to him?" I asked the 1st medic. Everyone else were trying to help put the patient on the gurney. He was covered with blood.

"Car accident." The medic replied.

"Very serious. He may die." I nodded and ran to the operating room with them.

When I arrived, the nurses told me that the man had already stopped breathing and also his heartbeat also stopped.

"Prepare for shock." I calmly instructed the nurses. Saving people is our duty. We can't and shouldn't lose our calm.

But when I saw who laid on the operating table, I lost my calm. That person was my BOYFRIEND!

"NO..." I stood in shock. "NO!!!" I grabbed the paddles and continuously shocked his body.

His body bounced up and down from the shocks. The scared nurses went to find another doctor, to tell him that I was crazy.

I didn't know if I was crazy or not. I just wanted to save my lover. Even though we fought all the time. Even though he never showed me his love.

I still wanted to save him. He still owed me a card. He couldn't die!

I threw away the paddles and began to press on his heart. I pressed with all my strength, hoping it would revive him, but he didn't wake up. He didn't even say "It hurts".

He just laid there with his eyes closed, punishing me with his silence.

Dr. Jian angrily pushed me away. By that time, I couldn't see clearly anymore. I cried. I wailed. I bowled until no sounds could come out of my mouth.

"It's too late, Dr. Shu. He's already dead. I'm sorry." Dr. Jian patted me on the shoulder. They knew each other and ate together once. I introduced them.

"He can't die." I shook my head. "He can't die!!" I struggled to run to him.

"Dr. SHU, control yourself!" Dr. Jian slapped me. "I understand what you're going through, but you're a doctor."

Yes, I'm a doctor, but I'm also a regular person. How can Dr. Jian understand how I feel? I've loved him for so many years that it's become a habit. How can I just throw away a habit?

Besides, he still owed me a card.

"I want him to live! I want him to live!" I ran to him again and tried to knock the life back into his body.

"Take her away!"

That day, I lost my control and my professionalism. And that day happened to be Valentine's Day.

Afterwards, I asked his co-workers why he left work early that day. They told me that after I hung up the phone, he tried to call me several times but couldn't reach me.

Worried, he drove to the hospital to find me and got hit by a large truck on the way.

When I heard this, I froze. My tantrum killed him.

Just because of an unmailed card, he died.

After that, I lost my privilege to be childish. Like an abandoned cat,I couldn't even cry anymore.

After his death, I couldn't cry anymore, regardless of how touching the plot or how tear-jerking the dialogue. They didn't affect me anymore. I turned on computer after a year later, even though I know no one will send me a mail, I still hoped that someone will remember me on this day.

GOSH....I have.... 100 emails! Who would be bored enough to send me 100 junk mail? I was just about to delete them all when I received another mail, and this one said: "Because of system error, we could not send these until today. We apologize for the delay." The sender was my BOYFRIEND!!!

I looked at the 1st mail. It showed the send date is last year's Valentine's Day. My heart began to beat fast.

Could he have sent these? With a trembling hand, I opened the mail.

The first thing that popped up was a gorgeous red rose set against green leaves. Then a beautiful melody began to play...."Only Love". I couldn't believe it. The rose was so beautiful and the music was so dreamy. I almost thought I was in a? fantasy.

Most touching of all were the words underneath the rose, because the words read like a beautiful poem.

"Only love can make a memory. Only love can make a moment last. You were there and all the world was young and all it's songs unsung and I remember you then when love was all, all you were living for, and how you gave that love to me...."

The lyrics of this song fits our love so closely. When he was alive,my world was so young.

Every day, I could find a something different to fight with him about.

But after he left, my life is only left with memories and coldness that will never go away. When I read these words, my tears unconsciously came, wetting the keyboard. I replied 100 times, and "Only Love" played 100 times.

On this cold Valentine's night, the line that's been broken for LAST ONE YEAR WAS FINALLY RECONNECTED.





Please leave a comment to share your views/thoughts/responses.

Since it is Valentine's Day today, I thought I'd post something on love stories. Many famous lovers never ever got a chance to live happily ever after. Ironically, their names are etched in golden letters in the history of mankind. Such famous love stories are living proof that love is immortal. Though lovers die, love remains forever and does not let their sacrifices go waste. These popular love affairs are an inspiration to many around the world. Most youngsters smitten by love often think their lives are synonymous to these famous lovers. People give them names like Romeo-Juliet that proves that these famous lovers are a big inspiration for falling in love, regardless of the consequences.



It is said that love conquers all. Some foolishly sacrificed their lives without even thinking twice just so they could live together happily ever after. However, it is not that easy and we all know that fairy tales rarely end happily. The trials and tribulations that these young lovers braved, just to be with each other, is enough to send shivers down the spine. In those days, many thought they would be happy to die together too and rationalized that since they couldn't live together, at least in death they shouldn't be separated.

Some of the famous love stories are those of Antony-Cleopatra, Pyramus-Thisbe, Salim-Anarkali and Laila-Majnu. Their great love sagas are an inspiration to fall in love and not to be afraid of giving even the biggest of sacrifices. Though these great people are not alive, they shall always remain immortal in the hearts of all those who are in love.

Anthony and Cleopatra
One of the most famous love stories by William Shakespeare, the love saga of Anthony and Cleopatra is a truly a fable of worshipping your beloved. Antony and Cleopatra epitomize that love is another name for sacrifice. Their love story is among the most tragic ones, where both the lovers die instead of living ‘happily ever after’. ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ is among the most popular plays by Shakespeare.


Laila and Majnu
Laila and Majnu is an eternal love story that has a tragic end. These two young lovers sacrificed their love for each other, as they couldn't be together. Such selfless was their love that they did not hesitate for even a minute when it came to laying down their lives for each other. The love story of Laila and Majnu is a very famous one and is no less than a legend. The love affair of Laila & Majnu is known to be so tragic and moving.

Pyramus and Thisbe
A very touching love story, sure to move anyone who reads it, is that of Pyramus and Thisbe. Their love story is part of a Roman mythology. It is a beautiful tale of the most sentimental romance, though not without its share of tragedy. Theirs was a selfless love and they made sure that even in death, they were together. The love story of Pyramus and Thisbe continues to inspire lovers all around the world.

Salim and Anarkali
The love story of Salim and Anarkali is a story that every lover knows. It is one of the most tragic love stories known to people. The Mughal prince Salim falling for a courtesan Anarkali is the kind of stuff that legends are made of. The relationship of Salim and Anarkali outraged the Mughal emperor Akbar to the extent that both father and son decided to go on war. However, as all great love stories are associated with a disastrous ending, the love affair of Salim and Anarkali did blossom, only to meet a tragic fate.

Happy Valentine's Day to all my readers and friends and Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Since it is Valentine's Day today, I thought I'd post something on love stories. Many famous lovers never ever got a chance to live happily ever after. Ironically, their names are etched in golden letters in the history of mankind. Such famous love stories are living proof that love is immortal. Though lovers die, love remains forever and does not let their sacrifices go waste. These popular love affairs are an inspiration to many around the world. Most youngsters smitten by love often think their lives are synonymous to these famous lovers. People give them names like Romeo-Juliet that proves that these famous lovers are a big inspiration for falling in love, regardless of the consequences.



It is said that love conquers all. Some foolishly sacrificed their lives without even thinking twice just so they could live together happily ever after. However, it is not that easy and we all know that fairy tales rarely end happily. The trials and tribulations that these young lovers braved, just to be with each other, is enough to send shivers down the spine. In those days, many thought they would be happy to die together too and rationalized that since they couldn't live together, at least in death they shouldn't be separated.


Some of the famous love stories are those of Antony-Cleopatra, Pyramus-Thisbe, Salim-Anarkali and Laila-Majnu. Their great love sagas are an inspiration to fall in love and not to be afraid of giving even the biggest of sacrifices. Though these great people are not alive, they shall always remain immortal in the hearts of all those who are in love.

Anthony and Cleopatra
One of the most famous love stories by William Shakespeare, the love saga of Anthony and Cleopatra is a truly a fable of worshipping your beloved. Antony and Cleopatra epitomize that love is another name for sacrifice. Their love story is among the most tragic ones, where both the lovers die instead of living ‘happily ever after’. ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ is among the most popular plays by Shakespeare.

Laila and Majnu
Laila and Majnu is an eternal love story that has a tragic end. These two young lovers sacrificed their love for each other, as they couldn't be together. Such selfless was their love that they did not hesitate for even a minute when it came to laying down their lives for each other. The love story of Laila and Majnu is a very famous one and is no less than a legend. The love affair of Laila & Majnu is known to be so tragic and moving.

Pyramus and Thisbe
A very touching love story, sure to move anyone who reads it, is that of Pyramus and Thisbe. Their love story is part of a Roman mythology. It is a beautiful tale of the most sentimental romance, though not without its share of tragedy. Theirs was a selfless love and they made sure that even in death, they were together. The love story of Pyramus and Thisbe continues to inspire lovers all around the world.

Salim and Anarkali
The love story of Salim and Anarkali is a story that every lover knows. It is one of the most tragic love stories known to people. The Mughal prince Salim falling for a courtesan Anarkali is the kind of stuff that legends are made of. The relationship of Salim and Anarkali outraged the Mughal emperor Akbar to the extent that both father and son decided to go on war. However, as all great love stories are associated with a disastrous ending, the love affair of Salim and Anarkali did blossom, only to meet a tragic fate.

Happy Valentine's Day to all my readers and friends!

Just in case you have yet to get a card or present for your beloved for Valentine's Day, here are four poems that will surely melt your heart and save the day. Make a card and copy any of these poems or better still, write your own! Still, we should express our love to our loved ones everyday of our lives and not just on Valentine's Day! Here's wishing you HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!



If you have time, please check out the most popular post of my blog - 101 REASONS WHY I LOVE YOU which I wrote last year. It is a must read because I wrote it with all my heart and soul!! Many people swing into my blog for that post and the other one I wrote on Katie Kirkpatrick. Check it out! Thanks and take care!
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May this day and everyday of your lives be filled with love and unforgettable melting moments. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

For Valentine's Day, my boy wanted to eat at Paddington's House of Pancakes at Queensbay Mall because Anne and her sons treated me for lunch there last Thursday and he missed out :-).. My dear husband lovingly complied ...

I had the Salmon Crepes...the pancake was so smooth and the wasabi sauce incredibly pungent, spicy and creamy whilst the sour cream was quite fresh with just the right tangy taste.
My husband had the double beef burger....
My younger boy had his usual sausage cum hash brown and pepperoni...
After dinner, my boy wanted to go for the Fish Spa there so off we went...er this is something which I had been avoiding ever since the Fish Spa craze hit Penang but tonight, there was no escape...But guess what? Yours truly DID NOT try it because I am ultra ticklish...so here is my boy ...note the expression...
Initially, he yelped, squealed, giggled, squirmed and laughed so loudly that I was quite embarrassed :-). The other guys sitting beside him soon ran off as they too broke out into gleeful laughter. I was quite HORRIFIED when I saw the 'horde' of savage fishes descending on my boy's legs!!! Some of the fishes were really huge. Amazingly, they do not have teeth and use their suction lips to eat the dead skin of my boy's legs. After some time, he sort of got used to it.

He actually coaxed me to put my little finger into the water. Er....cowardly as I am, I thought it would be, should be, ought to be safe enough. The minute I put my finger into the water, a few fishes attacked my finger and I gave an ear-piercing scream and this time, everyone looked at me!! The probably thought to themselves hmmm like mother like son.

I never thought I would experience micro kisses such as these on Valentine's day!!! Anyway, just to give you an idea of what he went through, here's a close up pic...
When his time was up, he cleaned up and when I touched his skin, it was like WOW!!!!! Smoooooooooth as vanilla ice-cream...If only my facial skin can be like that BUT the thought of scores of fishes giving me micro kisses on my face is enough to make me happy with what I have.

Throughout the whole journey home, my boy kept saying, "Mom, I can still feel the fishes nibbling at my toes and legs..." I just hope he will not have nightmares about it...As for me, I am so glad I only put ONE finger into the water. My boy is asking me to let him try the fish spa in KL where apparently, one can be half immersed in water and allow the fishes to have a free for all...

So that's my Valentine's Day, dear reader....simple and yet unforgettable. How was yours? I am sure each of you had a wonderful time with your loved ones...Take care and God bless you and your family!

Dear readers,

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! I hope you enjoyed the different posts I put up specially for this day...May you and your loved ones celebrate love today and EVEYDAY of your lives. Here's another one for your reading pleasure...Enjoy..

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When love pours on you
like a refreshing summer shower,
Rejoice!
Open your arms and embrace it!
Let it invade your senses.
Soak your memory to remember it,
if you ever feel a drought in your heart.

If the pain of the cracks
in your heart tear you up,
Relax!
It's temporary.
All you need
to let love flow again
is the courage to take a chance.



There's a story about a well in the middle of nowhere.

When travelers reach it, they are usually very thirsty. When they pull the cord inside the well, the bucket carries a note and a bottle of water. The note is as follows:

"Use all the water in this bottle to prime the well. Don't drink any of it, because you will need all of it to get the water flowing. Pour it down the well and pump!

If you drink the water from this bottle, your thirst may be quenched for a while, but you will be thirsty again, and this well will be useless for you and everyone else who comes this way.

But if you use the water to prime the well, you will have an abundance of water, for now and to carry on your voyage.

Remember to leave a full bottle of water and this note for the next traveler."

What would you do? Would you take a chance?

Think of giving love like priming the well.

Take a chance, give your full measure. You can't expect love if you don't give it.

Love someone. Start with yourself.

You are "unique in all the world". Nobody else is exactly like you, not even your twin, if you have one. That should be enough for you to realize how valuable you are.

Consider the story of "The Little Prince"
(by Antoine de Saint Exupéry).

The Little Prince lived on his planet where he had just one rose, who told him that she was unique in all the universe.

When the Little Prince came to earth and passed by a rose garden, he was shocked.

"And he was overcome with sadness. His flower had told him that she was the only one of her kind in all the universe. And here were five thousand of them, all alike, in one single garden!"

But then, The Little Prince met the Fox, who told him the secret of life:

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

So The Little Prince returned to look again at the roses.

"You are not at all like my rose," he said. "As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed no one. You are like my fox when I first knew him. He was only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But I have made a friend, and now he is unique in all the world."

"You are beautiful, but you are empty," he went on. "One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you -- the rose that belongs to me.

But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of your other roses: because it is she that I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars (except the two or three we saved to become butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or even sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is MY rose."


Like the rose, you and I are "unique in all the world". But we let all the other things get in the way of seeing what is really important in life.

The job, the meetings, the deals, the social status and opinions, the feeling that we are worth what appears on the outside...all of these things are what make us forget how "unique" we are, and how unique our loved ones are. We're so caught up in the rat race that we become rats. We take people and things for granted until sometimes it's too late.

When's the last time you stopped to smell the roses?

When's the last time you told someone you love how important they are to you?

It's HOW we live and love that makes us "unique in all the world".

As the sayings go, "Nobody says 'I wish I had spent more time at the office' on their death bed, and 'a security truck full of money following your hearse won't get you into heaven'."

Find your heaven here, now. Love. Be loved. It's all that really matters.

Put love first, and everything else will fall into place.

God bless you and Happy Valentine's Day!!!

It was just a harmless prank, that's all it was.

And it wasn't as if Old Lady Hayes didn't deserve it. The way she used to scream at us for "borrowing" a few of her precious raspberries each summer, like we were stealing gold out of Fort Knox... well, she had it coming.

At least, that's the way we saw it as George finished tying the string to the red, heart-shaped box. We giggled as Ron added the final touch: two plastic red roses, glued to the lid. "I wonder what will surprise her most," I asked as George practiced jerking the box out of reach by yanking on the string. "Seeing a box of candy on her step, or watching it fly away when she tries to pick it up?"

We laughed as we watched George make Albert chase the box around the garage. For a chubby 10-year-old, Albert did a good imitation of Mrs. Hayes's hunched hobble and her seemingly permanent scowl. And we howled when he picked up a broom and pretended to ride it through the midwinter air while shouting, "I'm Old Lady Hayes, the driedest-up old prune in the West!"

Ron was first to notice my dad in the doorway. Within seconds, Ron's anxiety was shared by all but Albert, who continued to swoop around the garage until he came face-to-belt-buckle with our silent observer. For a moment the only movement in the room came from the little puffs of steam escaping our mouths. Dad broke the stillness by walking slowly to the empty candy box lying on the floor. He picked it up and dangled it by the string, watching it swing back and forth. Then he looked into the eyes of the frightened boys. And, as was his custom, he looked into their hearts as well.

"It doesn't seem so long ago that I was pulling Valentine's Day pranks," he said as he laid the box on a workbench. "One year my cousins and I decided to pull one on our Grandma Walker even though we loved her -- she was the sweetest grandma a boy could have. We were just feeling devilish and decided to have some fun at her expense.

"Early in the evening we snuck up to her doorstep with a can of red paint. Grandma was hard of hearing, so we didn't have to worry about being very quiet. Which was a good thing, because every time we thought about how funny it was going to be to see Grandma try to pick up a valentine that was just painted on her doorstep, we couldn't keep from laughing.

"It didn't take long, and it wasn't very artistic. But for an old woman with bad eyes, it would do. We kicked the door and hid behind bushes. When Grandma finally appeared she stood in the doorway, her gray hair pulled back tightly into her usual bun, wiping her hands on her usual apron. She must have heard the commotion in the bushes because she looked in our direction and spoke loudly enough for us to hear: 'Who could be knocking at my door?' Then she looked down. Even from 15 feet away we could see the joy in her eyes when she spotted a splash of red at her feet.

"'A valentine for Grandma!' she exclaimed. 'And I thought I'd be forgotten again this year!'

"She tried to retrieve her prize. This was the moment we had been waiting for, but somehow it wasn't as much fun as we expected. Grandma groped at the fresh paint for a moment. Slowly, she figured out our prank. She tried to smile. Then, with as much dignity as she could muster, she turned and walked back into her house, absently wiping red paint on her clean, white apron."

Dad paused, and for the first time I noticed that his eyes were moist. He took a deep breath. "Grandma died later that year," he said. "I never had another chance to give her a real valentine."

He took the box from the bench and handed it to me. Then he turned and left the garage.

Later that night a red, heart-shaped box with two plastic roses on it was placed on Mrs. Hayes's front doorstep by six giggling boys. We hid behind snow-covered bushes to see how she would react to receiving a full pound of candy and nuts.

With no strings attached.

Red roses were her favorites, her name was also Rose.
And every year her husband sent them, tied with pretty bows.
The year he died, the roses were delivered to her door.
The card said, "Be my Valentine," like all the years before.

Each year he sent her roses, and the note would always say,
"I love you even more this year, than last year on this day."
"My love for you will always grow, with every passing year."
She knew this was the last time that the roses would appear.

She thought, he ordered roses in advance before this day.
Her loving husband did not know, that he would pass away.
He always liked to do things early, way before the time.
Then, if he got too busy, everything would work out fine.

She trimmed the stems, and placed them in a very special vase.
Then, sat the vase beside the portrait of his smiling face.
She would sit for hours, in her husband's favorite chair.
While staring at his picture, and the roses sitting there.

A year went by, and it was hard to live without her mate.
With loneliness and solitude, that had become her fate.
Then, the very hour, as on Valentines before,
The doorbell rang, and there were roses, sitting by her door.

She brought the roses in, and then just looked at them in shock.
Then, went to get the telephone, to call the florist shop.
The owner answered, and she asked him, if he would explain,
Why would someone do this to her, causing her such pain?

"I know your husband passed away, more than a year ago,"
The owner said, "I knew you'd call, and you would want to know."
"The flowers you received today, were paid for in advance."
"Your husband always planned ahead, he left nothing to chance."

"There is a standing order, that I have on file down here,
And he has paid, well in advance, you'll get them every year.
There also is another thing, that I think you should know,
He wrote a special little card...he did this years ago."

"Then, should ever, I find out that he's no longer here,
That's the card...that should be sent, to you the following year."
She thanked him and hung up the phone, her tears now flowing hard.
Her fingers shaking, as she slowly reached to get the card.

Inside the card, she saw that he had written her a note.
Then, as she stared in total silence, this is what he wrote...
"Hello my love, I know it's been a year since I've been gone,
I hope it hasn't been too hard for you to overcome."

"I know it must be lonely, and the pain is very real.
For if it was the other way, I know how I would feel.
The love we shared made everything so beautiful in life.
I loved you more than words can say, you were the perfect wife."

"You were my friend and lover, you fulfilled my every need.
I know it's only been a year, but please try not to grieve.
I want you to be happy, even when you shed your tears.
That is why the roses will be sent to you for years."

"When you get these roses, think of all the happiness,
That we had together, and how both of us were blessed.
I have always loved you and I know I always will.
But, my love, you must go on, you have some living still."

"Please...try to find happiness, while living out your days.
I know it is not easy, but I hope you find some ways.
The roses will come every year, and they will only stop,
When your door's not answered, when the florist stops to knock."

"He will come five times that day, in case you have gone out.
But after his last visit, he will know without a doubt,
To take the roses to the place, where I've instructed him,
And place the roses where we are, together once again."

by: Poppy, Poppy's Poetry Page

1) Funny Valentine Quotes

'I require three things in a man. He must be handsome, ruthless and stupid.'
Dorothy Parker.

'Women are cursed, and men are the proof.'
Rosanne Barr.

'Women with pasts interest men... they hope history will repeat itself.'
Mae West.

'Get married early in the morning. That way, if it doesn't work out, you haven't wasted a whole day.'
Mickey Rooney.

'I married the first man I ever kissed. When I tell my children that, they just about throw up.'
Barbara Bush.

'My boyfriend and I broke up. He wanted to get married and I didn't want him to.'
Rita Rudner.

'The poor wish to be rich, the rich wish to be happy, the single wish to be married, and the married wish to be dead.'
Ann Landers.

'Instead of getting married again, I'm going to find a woman I don't like and give her a house.'
Groucho Marx.

Happiness is an imaginary condition, formerly attributed by the living to the dead, now usually attributed by adults to children, and by children to adults.
Thomas Szasz

2) Romantic Valentine Love Quotes

If you are in love and wish to make up your own Valentine's Day quotes either use these or else modify them for your own true love.

The moment you have in your heart this extraordinary thing called love and feel the depth, the delight, the ecstasy of it, you will discover that for you the world is transformed.
J. Krishnamurti

All you need is love.
John Lennon

One makes mistakes; that is life. But it is never a mistake to have loved.
Romain Rolland

Love is an exploding cigar we willingly smoke.
Lynda Barry

Love is an ocean of emotions entirely surrounded by expenses.
Thomas Robert Dewar

A heart that loves is always young.
Greek Proverb

But I have seen thee
And thou art enough.
G. Moore

Your words are my food, your breath my wine. You are everything to me.
Sarah Bernhardt

Friendship is one mind in two bodies.
Mencius

If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you.
Winnie the Pooh

3) Ten Valentine Quotes

1. There is only one happiness in life: to love and be loved.
   George Sand
2. Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was choice, falling in love with you was beyond my control
3. Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.
   Aristotle
4. The heart has its reasons that reason does not know.
   Pascal
5. The risk it takes to remain tight inside the bud is more painful than the risk it takes to blossom.
   Anais Nin
6. You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back.
   Barbara DeAngelis
7. Love, like a river, will cut a new path Whenever it meets an obstacle.
   Crystal Middlemas
8. Greater Love has no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends.
   Jesus
9. The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.
   Eden Ahbez
10. It's not that I can't live without you...it's just that I don't even want to try.

4) Extra Valentine Quotes and One-liners

It's better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.'
Alfred, Lord Tennyson

True love begins when nothing is looked for in return.
Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Love, you know, seeks to make happy rather than to be happy.
Ralph Connor

True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost.
Charles Caleb Colton

We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere.
Tim McGraw

Hold a true friend with both your hands.
Nigerian Proverb

My father always used to say that when you die, if you've got five real friends, then you've had a great life.
Lee Iacocca

A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.
Anon

Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you say. Best friends listen to what you don't say.
Anon

If you walk in front of me, I may not follow.
If you walk behind me, I may not lead.
If you walk beside me, I will be your friend. Albert Camus

5) More Good Advice - Valentine Quotations

• When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain.
  Mark Twain
• Because when we love, we always strive to become better than we are.
  Paulo Coelho in The Alchemist
• A man loses his sense of direction after four drinks; A woman loses hers after four. kisses.
  H.L. Mencken
• Don't wait for the one you can live with, wait for the one you can't live without.
• Love is like a river, always changing, but always finding you again somewhere down the road.
  Kelly Elaine
• One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: that word is love.
  Sophocles

6) Another Tranche of Lovely Valentine's Day Quotes

• I recently read that love is entirely a matter of chemistry. That must be why my wife treats me like toxic waste. David Bissonnette
• I've been in love with the same woman for forty-one years. If my wife finds out, she'll kill me. Henry Youngman
• It's better to have loved and lost than to do forty pounds of laundry a week. Laurence J. Peter
• If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular? Anonymous
• If love is the answer, could you rephrase the question? Lily Tomlin
• Love is the delightful interval between meeting a beautiful girl and discovering that she looks like a haddock. John Barrymore
• A kiss can be a comma, a question mark or an exclamation point. That's basic spelling that every woman ought to know. Mistinguette
• Absence: that common cure of love. Miguel De Cervantes

1) Love and Marriage

• A man said his credit card was stolen but he decided not to report it because the thief was spending less than his wife did.
• Love is blind but marriage is an eye-opener.
• The most effective way to remember your wife's birthday is to forget it once.
• When a man opens the door of his car for his wife, you can be sure of one thing: either the car is new or the wife.
• Before marriage, a man will lie awake all night thinking about something you say. After marriage, he will fall asleep before you finish.
• A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
  A successful woman is one who can find such a man
• A little boy asked his father, 'Daddy, how much does it cost to get married?' And the father replied, 'I don't know, son, I'm still paying for it.'
• A couple was having a discussion about family finances. Finally the husband exploded, 'If it weren't for my money, the house wouldn't be here!' The wife replied, 'My dear, if it weren't for your money, I wouldn't be here.'

2a) Valentine Present - For Him

You'll never guess what I've bought you for Valentine's Day

2b) Valentine Present For Her

Valentine Love Handbag - courtesy of River Island.com

2c) Say I love you - with Post-it notes

Claire Northcott decided to declare her love for boyfriend Gordon Husband by writing it on 500 Post-it notes. She then stuck them all over his pick-up truck. Ms Northcott, 33, said, 'I spent over an hour-and-a-half writing the notes with felt-tip.'

Mr Husband was understandably surprised when he spotted his vehicle outside the flat the couple share in Paignton, Devon, UK. 'He said it was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for him,' observed Claire.

3) Valentine Passion Extinguished - Love Failure

An Austrian 'Romeo' burnt the house down after making a giant heart out of blazing candles.

Hannes Pisek, 20, from Hoenigsberg in the province of Styria, used 220 candles to make a huge heart on the floor of his flat. He then lit them and went to pick up his girlfriend from work - but the plan backfired when the flat caught fire.

Pisek was left out in the cold as firemen battled to bring the blaze under control. He has now lost his home and his girlfriend - she left him afterwards and has moved back with her parents.

4) A Prayer... ......for women..................................

Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man;
Love to forgive him; and Patience for his moods;
Because Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him to death.

5) Valentine's Day in the Zebra World

6) Valentine's Day Love Story - Swans

The swan that fell in love with a pedal boat is back courting its plastic lover after spending the winter in a local zoo

Swans choose a partner for life but the rare Black Australian swan nicknamed Petra made the mistake of falling for a pedal boat designed to look like a swan; and when Petra's pedal boat lover refused to fly south for the winter Petra also remained, a move that could have killed her as the cold weather arrived.

In the end though local zoo chiefs took pity on the swan and gave her and her boat boyfriend a place to spend the winter, and this week the pair were once again on the lake together. According to biologists in Muenster, north-western Germany, Petra has been circling its plastic lover, staring endlessly at it and making crooning noises, all the typical signs of a swan in love.

The boat in the meantime is still being hired out to families who want to picnic on the Aasee lake - where the star-crossed lovers have become a tourist attraction. Zoo director, Joerg Adler said, 'This arrangement could go on forever, the swan obviously believes it has found a partner for life.'

Do check out this story in my other blog:

The Old Man and The Dog: An Inspirational Story of Love by Catherine Moore

1) World's Oldest Valentine Card

The Royal Mail has revealed images of what is thought to be the world's most expensive Valentine's day card. Dating back to 1790, the intricately designed Valentine filled with heartfelt messaging would fetch up to £4,000 if auctioned today. It is currently housed at the British Postal Museum and Archive - and they have no plans of selling the card. The card is a handmade puzzle which unfolds to reveal poetic messages - a far cry from the short notes written in today's Valentine's cards.

On the outside of the card, the inscription reads:
"My dear the Heart which you behold,
Will break when you the same unfold,
Even so my heart with lovesick pain,
Sure wounded is and breaks in twain."

Patrick O'Neill, from Royal Mail, commented, "This year Royal Mail will be delivering over 12 million Valentine's cards but probably none as romantic as the verse written inside here. Although the Valentine card is a valuable piece - we would never dream of selling it as can you really put a price on true love?"

2) The Perfect St Valentine's Day Card

Aidan, a young man, was looking for a greeting card just before February 14th. He searching unhurriedly for just the right card and he found one that impressed him greatly. It read, 'To my one true love, the most beautiful woman in all the world.'

'This is truly heartfelt,' Aidan commented to the shopkeeper. 'It is the message that any woman would love to receive. ... I'll take five.'

Incidentally, salesmen say that Valentine's Day cards are second only to Christmas cards, moreover 1 billion cards are bought every year, 80% by women.

1) Say it with Flower

Jeremy visited a florist's shop which showed a large sign that read, 'Say It With Flowers.'

'Wrap up one rose, please' Jeremy demanded of the florist's assistant.

'Only one?' she enquired frowning.

'Ah yes just the one', Jeremy replied. 'I'm a man of very few words.'

1a) American Valentine Cynics

Market researchers deduced from their survey that eight million Americans send Valentine's Day gifts to themselves. Perhaps they feel lonely, maybe unloved, but at least they get something nice.

2) Can We Come Back Tomorrow?

A couple were having marital problems. They decided together to do the right thing and they contacted a marriage guidance counsellor.

Several visits followed when lots of questions were asked and lots of listening carried out. Eventually the the counsellor felt that he had discovered the main problem. He stood up, went over to the women and asking her to stand up he gave her a huge cuddle.

He turned to the husband man and said, 'This is what your wife needs, at least once every day.'

The husband frowned, considered what had been said for a moment, then replied, 'Ok, what time do you want me to bring her back tomorrow?'

3) Romance at the Brentford 'Bees'.

Martin Allen is Manager of Brentford Football Club, who play in the Coca-Cola Football League Division One. Allen used his programme notes to inform his wife of the significance of the 'Bees' date with top-of-the-table Southend 'Blues' on February 14.

He said, 'I'm taking her to the theatre to see a new show. It will be passionate, it will be fiery and there could be some blood spilled. The performance that night will start at 7.45pm.

'This will be followed by a greasy kebab at 11 o' clock down on the A4. Pure romance.'

As reported by the Valentine's day cynics at The Guardian.

4) Who says Romance is Dead?

Will and Guy know a man who regularly takes his wife to his darts match to celebrate her birthday each year. We will avoid using names here to protect this dart player extraordinaire.

5) It's a Hot Date for Couples

A special ring that heats up to remind husbands and wives of wedding anniversaries has been created. Makers of the ring, which heats up from hand temperature to 115F-120F in a 10-second burst on the day before the anniversary, said it could put an end to rows over forgotten dates reports the Scotsman.

The Remember Ring, which is currently a concept product not yet in stock at Goldsmith Gallery, Sitka, south east Alaska, will eventually sell for around $700 to $850. Inventor Cleve Oines, 26, is currently working on a prototype of the ring, which should be available in 2007.

6) Falling Out of Love

A Russian man divorced his wife of 18 years after finding she had been feeding him cheap pumpkins instead of courgettes. Ivan Dimitrov, 47, was devastated to find the pies he had been eating for six months were made of pumpkins and not courgettes. Mr Dimitrov, from Voronezh, said when he realised the truth, after finding pumpkin rinds in the bin, he immediately hired a lawyer to organise a quick divorce from wife Irena, 38. He said, "She knows I absolutely hate pumpkins and she lied to me for months about it just because the pumpkins were cheap. What else has she been lying about?

What man could trust a woman who fed him pumpkins for half a year?"

6a) More grounds for incompatibility?

A Romanian pensioner asked for a divorce after only eight months when his wife's cat ate his two pet parrots. Sandu B, 67, from Focsani, wants to divorce his wife, who is 20 years younger than him on ground of incompatibility.

7a) Spirit of Valentine's Day Dies

A 43-year-old German decided on February 14th to settle his imminent divorce by chain sawing a family home in two and making off with his half in a forklift truck. Police in the eastern town of Sonneberg said the trained mason measured the single-storey summer house - which was some 8 metres long and 6 metres wide - before chain sawing through the wooden roof and walls.

'The man said he was just taking his due,' a police spokesman told the New Zealand Herald. 'But I don't think his wife was too pleased.'

After finishing the job, the man picked up his half with the forklift truck and drove to his brother's house where he has since been staying.

7b) One of the Best, or the Worst, Examples of Cynical Valentines

Daily Mirror, UK.

8) Saudi's Ban Red Roses on St Valentine's Day

Religious police in Saudi Arabia's have banned red roses for St Valentine's Day. The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has ordered florists Riyadh to remove any items coloured scarlet, which symbolizes love.

One report said: 'The religious police visited us last night. It is not unusual for the authorities to clamp down ahead of Valentine's Day, which it sees as encouraging relations between men and women outside of wedlock.

It is to be remembered that Sunni Islam prevents unrelated men and women from mixing. It also bans women from driving and demands that they wear a headscarf and a cloak. Relations outside marriage are punishable by law.

9) Chinese Skeptics

Using phrases such as 'foxy lady', 'handsome guy' and 'moneybags' in marriage adverts has been banned in part of China, in a campaign to stamp out fraud.

The edict against 'seductive' words by officials in Zhengzhou in Henan province follows complaints from customers who felt cheated by some adverts placed by marriage brokers.

From October 2007 all the descriptions must be approved by the city government.

10) Chinese Roo Tattoo

The official story

Joanne Raine has had her boyfriend's nickname 'Roo' tattooed on her stomach; it was supposed to be a sign of her undying love. The 19-year-old from Darlington, UK paid £80 [$ 156 USD]for the Chinese artwork and was delighted with the results. That was until she displayed the tattoo in a Chinese takeaway, locals said that it it actually spelled the word 'supermarket.'

The pair have now split up, but Miss Raine said she will keep the tattoo because she cannot afford a new one.

The tattoo story according to Will and Guy's friend Professor Lin

'What I think happened', says Prof Lin, 'is that Joanne asked for Roo and picked the three letters, 'R', 'O' and 'o' from the tattooist's alphabetical chart'. The professor has kindly highlighted the three symbols in question.