Happy Valentine's Week

 My Valentine's birthday is February 15, so this is a big week for us.  Why a Bear?  When my nephew, Danny, was about six he said to me, 

"When I was really little I saw Arthur in his bathing suit, and I said,

'Wow, Arthur, you have a lot of hair on your chest!' And he didn't even look up-he just said, 'Well, Danny, I used to be a bear.'  And I believed him for a long time!"

Arthur has told me that he also told Danny it was a secret.  Well, he kept it for three years.

Danny has grown up to be Senior Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee.  

This makes it exciting to watch confirmation hearings because there's always the chance of a Danny sighting, even if it's only his chin. In the Senate he's not called Danny but Dan.  However in our family, Dan Swanson is our uncle Dan, George Daniel Swanson, our Dad's baby brother.   He and I go way back.

Dan is also celebrating his birthday this week--February 14!  He was my grandmother's Valentine baby. She told me that well-meaning friends expressed sympathy at his birth because she already had three sons and they assumed she wanted a girl. She made it very clear that Dan was exactly the one she wanted. 

I agree. When I was too little to water-ski on my own he took me piggy-back. Yes, on waterskis, and no life jacket! He knew I was a good swimmer. Definitely a cool uncle.

so Happy Birthday, Dan!

In searching for these snapshots I found a Christmas card with an adorable blue-eyed white kitten sitting under the Christmas tree.  Inside it said, "Sometimes its hard to be my mom and Sams mom. But you have been doing a good job over the past 11 1/2 years.  Merry Christmas + Happy New Year, Love Jessie." It wasn't dated but I hope it was when she was eleven and a half. I'm not sure I appreciated this as much then as I do now, so I'm very glad I saved it.

You never know when something will pop up and give you a little bit of joy.  And you never know how you might do that for someone else.

So, four days late, Happy Valentine's Day! I searched for a platonic love poem appropriate for all ages and levels of friendship and came up with this by Shel Silverstein.  I've been hard on Mr. Silverstein for years because I have serious issues with his book, The Giving Tree but here's something we can enjoy unreservedly.

Hug O' War

By Shel Silverstein 

I will not play at tug o' war.
I'd rather play at hug o' war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/hug-o-war-by-shel-silverstein