Please curtsey to the Valentine Queen. Bea worked very hard to make this imaginative crown, and I think it suits her well.

Valentine's day is a day when we remember with gratitude that we are here in this world because of love. When we were too small to care for ourselves, someone cared for us. And this unearned and unasked for kindness--for how can a tiny baby ask for anything?--made the difference between life and death. We have been given life. Let's enjoy it! Here is my poem of celebration!

How we survived

Someone made a place for us,

though the river was frozen,

wrapped us in skins to keep us warm,

while others did not survive the winter.

Though the river filled with ice,

someone searched for game or roots;

though some were dying of hunger

someone pounded corn and made bread.

Game cooked in the fire, bread in ashes,

Somehow we survived the winter

Someone saw that we did not die hungry.

By spring the water began to flow freely.

In time we had children of our own

Born when the river gave up its ice

We made them a place by the fire,

Remembering how we ourselves survived.

Day after day, we pounded corn.

We made sure the children had full bellies,

In spring, the river resumed its long ramble.

We bathed the children in its waters.

In summer, we harvested squash and beans

To fill our children’s empty bellies,

The river gave us fish and mussels;

we fed them to the children.