Oh, did I have fun this weekend at the Washington coast! The town of Moclips sponsors a yearly chocolate festival, and this year I hauled down some girlfriends to help me get a good dose of "Vitamin C" (And if you need that explained to you you're not a true chocoholic!)
We enjoyed sampling the wares of several chocolatiers and saw demonstrations on how make truffles, chocolate soup and chocolate churros. Yum! Here we are on the road.

My friend Jan wore her "chocolate" shirt in honor of the occasion.

Can you tell we're having fun?! Notice the sign in back of us. Non wonder we're all smiling.

I've got to say, I love Valentine's Day. I loved it even as a kid - looked forward to those class Valentine's Day parties where you exchanged cheap cards and ate little candy hearts with important messages on them like "Kiss me" and "Be mine." (Of course, these days they say even more important things like "Tweet me.") By the way, did you know that those candy hearts have been around since the civil war?
    But enough about candy hearts and childhood. That's not what I really wanted to share. I wanted to share my lovely Valentine card. As you can see in the picture, it's not from my husband. It's from my brother, Sam.
Several years ago, Sam, out of the blue, sent me a Valentine card. It was so sweet and I was touched. And then, to my surprise, he did it again the following year. And again! Well, you know, if you do something more than twice it becomes a tradition, and this certainly has. In fact, last year my Valentine almost didn't get here in time and I was worried. Where was it? Had my big brother forgotten? It turned out that he hadn't and the card made it to me just in time. Happy sigh.
    Today I saw that pink envelope in my mail box and was as delighted as if someone had sent me Godiva chocolate. (Hint, hint, Gerhardt.) It's only a card. One little card. But for me that card carries a huge message. I love you. Even though we're miles apart I'm thinking about you. It simply made my day to know my big brother had thought of me.
    So what about you? Is there someone in your life who would be lifted by one small, kind gesture? Maybe a plate of cookies or a card left on their doorstep? A phone call? An e-card? Small kindnesses can have a big impact. At least they do on me! Maybe I'm just a sucker that way. Or maybe I have a really cool bro.
    Thanks, Sam, for making my day in a big way.