More hearts and flowers on Valentine's Day.

    Once again, it's Valentine's Day. I love Valentine's Day. It doesn't take much to make me happy, and just knowing that I am appreciated is good enough for me. But, for some people, Valentine's Day is even more stressful than Christmas. Expectations are high and the pressure is on.

    I have a friend who has been known to give her husband the cold shoulder for weeks if he doesn't come through with just the perfect gift for her on Valentine's Day. The problem is, she never gives him any hints of what she might want, and every year he disappoints her. You'd think one of them would figure it out by now.

    My single friends either ignore the holiday or try to live vicariously through those of us who are happily married. Even my married friends wistfully wonder what they will get and then compare notes later. Sheesh! Is this really what Valentine's Day is about?

    My husband and I celebrate this day dedicated to love and romance by doing special things for each other. Last year we spent Valentine's Day looking at toilets. It might not sound terribly romantic to the average person, but we got to spend a long afternoon together. This year we celebrated by buying each other a new garage door. We plan on spending a quiet evening at home sitting in the garage and taking turns playing with the remote before I fix dinner.

    The point is, it's not about what you get; it's about what you already have that's important. As far as I'm concerned, wandering around a hardware store or admiring a new garage door with my husband beside me is more romantic and precious than any gift I could receive.  Happy Valentine's Day, and don't forget to share the love!



Be healthy!
Cheryl Ilov, PT, GCFP

Photographs and memories.....

   Last summer I had several photo albums converted to a DVD. It was quite a chore going through the albums from 1978 to 1986, but Wolf Camera was having an unbelievable sale, and I was on a mission to meet the deadline. I went through as many albums as I could, without taking too much extra time to look at the pictures as I organized them. I never even looked at the DVD until last week. Once I started looking, I just couldn't stop.

    I smiled, I laughed, and I cried as I took a stroll down memory lane. The overwhelming theme over those eight years was love, laughter and parties. And no, not necessarily in that order. To those of you who are no longer with us, thank you for the memories, and for the stories that we still tell and that will live in our hearts forever; we love you and we miss you.

    There are 789 pictures on that DVD. I simply can't torment you with all 789, and I couldn't select just a few. However, here is the one picture out of all of them that pretty much sums it up. It is a gentle reminder that each moment in time is a snapshot, and a memory in the making for years to come. Also, every picture tells a story. Here is my story; without this picture I would have no story, nor would my sisters.

                                              
    Keep taking your pictures, making your memories, and sharing your stories.

Be healthy!
Cheryl Ilov, PT, GCFP