A love story for Valentines Day

Many think of today as a hallmark holiday. I think of it as a day to celebrate the love around you. I will be spending my day with my little valentine, my son, and making a special steak dinner for my husband. Nothing too fancy just dinner and a movie (that isn't Disney or Pixar if we're lucky!). 

This last week I went to visit my Grandfather who is currently residing in a rehab hospital. It's been a long six months since his fall. I wish I could say that he is back to his former self, however, I can say that the love that he and my Grandmother share is the same. He can't always say it, but I know she can feel it. Their love story is 65+ years in the making. It started with a letter to former classmate who was at war. I'm not sure why my Grandmother chose to write to him (I need to remember to ask her next time I visit), but I'm glad she did. My Grandfather once told me that when he read that letter and looked at that pretty girls picture he knew what he was going to do when and if he got home... marry her. My Grandmother, unaware of my Grandpa's intentions, had other plans- she was going to become a nun. Luckily for me he changed her mind. They married in 1948,had five children (one of them is my Dad), worked hard in their orchards and watched their family grow. They are now Grandparents to 13 and Great-Grandparents to 19, with another great-grandchild expected later this year. 
Long before I met my husband, I once asked my Grandpa what the secret was to a long marriage. He told me, "The secret is to take it one day at a time and it will just add up. It sounds simple, because it is... you just have to take it day by day." I always remember this advice, especially on the days when everything seems to go wrong even more when everything is going right. Happy Valentines Day to you and yours!

My Grandfather, Luis (left) coming home from WWII in 1946 and my Grandmother, Marie (right) at home in rural Central California 

Grandma caring for Grandpa earlier this week