Sunday Scribblings - Chocolate

February 14, 1970. A blind date the previous month was the beginning of their courtship. He was small in size compared to the typical college male, and he was quiet and reserved by nature. She was immaculate in appearance, and also quiet and reserved by nature. He came from a paternal line of Baptist preachers and a childhood filled with hope and encouragement. She came from a family of self-proclaimed Christians that practiced drinking and abuse rather than prayer. He was hopeful. She was skeptical. But on a fateful night in January, their paths crossed. And as he held an umbrella to shield her from the pouring rain, she saw a gentle soul and a kind heart being offered to her, a chance for understanding and compassion and, potentially, love.

It had only been a few weeks when Valentine’s Day arrived. Her expectations were low, as she had been programmed to expect little throughout her life. His hopes were high, as he had been taught the power of faith and the potentialities for happiness. A quiet, uneventful dinner and a heartfelt gift.

That night, he brought her an enormous lavender, heart-shaped box decorated with plastic lavender flowers. The box was not adorned in the typical red or pink hues of the holiday. The flowers on top were not the red roses of tradition. But inside lay the most delicious and succulent chocolates she had ever tasted. Beneath the tacky lavender exterior was a gift of warmth and comfort and love. Maybe that’s why February 14, 1970 was her most memorable Valentine’s Day.

Thirty-six years later, they still celebrate Valentine’s Day together, as well as every other day of the year. Much like the chocolates on that first holiday, he is also an incredible and unexpected gift beneath the outer coverings. Beneath his quiet nature and small stature, he is a man with a heart bigger than the world, filled with rich and delicious morsels of truth, wisdom, and comfort.

We never know what treasures may lie beneath the coverings of a lavender heart-shaped box of chocolates.

**This is a true story inspired by the love of my happily married parents. May their love always be as rich, warm, comforting, and filling as the most delicious chocolate!**