Funny Valentine
- Dawn Davis
- Feb 8
- 2 min read
My parents were living in Chateau Vestavia in Independent Living on this Valentine’s Day. I had the kids to make handmade vintage Valentine cards for Mama Doris. I bought the red and the pink construction paper along with the white paper lace dollies for them to cut into shape of hearts. Then they wrote their message inside the heart. As you can tell from the sweet picture Mama Doris felt their love.
This Valentine’s Day was extra special because I knew it would be Mama’s last. I prayed and thought I want to give her and Daddy something that brings them Joy and Laughter. It came to me, one of my nieces had recently gotten married and the photographer got a great picture of my handsome Daddy. He was wearing a blue and white seersucker suit along with his happy and genuine smile.
I decided to wrap the framed picture and say “Mama this is your Valentine from Daddy.” “Mama said Rayford I didn’t know you got me a Valentine and he said I didn’t know either.”
Once she opened it, saw the framed picture of just him with a card that said from your loving beau, she smiled. She said “this is such a good picture of you Rayford!” Daddy looked at his picture and with a jolly laugh and smile, he said I am good looking and I just can’t help it!”
Then the kids, Mama, Daddy, and me all laughed. And we all kept complimenting how handsome the picture was.
Daddy continued to say the phrase “I just can’t help it,” when friends would compliment him at church. Jackson loved Paw-Paw and at 11 years old he started saying that phrase too, when anyone said something nice to him.
That Valentine’s Day was one of my favorites. The day was filled with simple love and laughter. Mama truly spoke from the heart when she said what a wonderful picture Rayford. That is one of the many reasons Daddy loved her. She did think he was the most handsome and funny man. I have a feeling Daddy knew too we all needed to laugh that day.
The quote is true, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
