Valentine's Day happened to be the day before we left for the wedding trip.  It was a 'last minute' day if ever there was one.  A day of list checking and packing up and averting little disasters. Surely it was not a slow, methodical, crafting sort of day, except that I saw it in their eyes – that little bit of hopefulness.  "I found a recipe, Mom, and we only need a couple things."  It wasn't even about being a good sport at that point.  We really could not begin to pull out flour and mixers and trays. 

Walking through the aisles picking up little necessities I found a cookie kit.  It was everything I normally cringe over in all its plastic, premade glory. Inside however it held sugar cookie hearts, tiny bags of sprinkles, and not nearly enough frosting.  And it was the perfect gift.

The little girls wasted no time when they saw the package.  When the doorbell rang in the afternoon, and their little friends brought them candy heart pillows and cards, they happily presented them cookie hearts with sweet gel glazed sentiments scrawled in 8 year old script.  

"My Favorite Word"
by Lucia and James L. Hymes, Jr.
From Sing a Song of Popcorn
(poetry collection)

There is one word – 
My favorite – 
The very, very best.
It isn’t No or Maybe.
It’s Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, YES!

"Yes, yes, you may," and
Yes, of course," and
Yes, please help yourself."
And when I want a piece of cake,
"Why, yes. It’s on the shelf."

Some candy? "Yes."
A cookie? "Yes."
A movie? "Yes, we’ll go."

I love it when they say my word:
Yes, Yes, YES! (Not No.)