Missing all our Daughters for Valentine's Day

Last Monday I got together with my Mothers' Group to make Valentine's care packages for our kids in college. I made my Grandmother's famous sugar cookies and frosted them in pinks, yellow and purples with lots of sprinkles and decor of candied rose petals and candied mint leaves. Since I made a double batch, I had more than enough for the 6 care packages. One young man already write his Mom to thank us and commented on how delicious all the treats were.

I decided to use the extra cookies and send small care packages to our "other daughters," the girls who are Madeleine's friends who we are close to. Some of these girls we've known since they were in kindergarten together, others just in high school, but they are all wonderful young women. They all were part of the garage project and some spent quite a few days helping us, and they have followed its progress on Barney's Facebook page.

Packing the cookies so they would arrive whole (I hoped) I also included some stickers of the tiny hearts with messages, and a little handmade Valentine's card we both signed, saying we missed them. I also made a package for one of Madeleine's new friends at Wellesley, whom she really likes, with a "thank you for being such a good friend to Madeleine" note.

The packages arrived over the past few days. Two of the girls posted really sweet messages on their Facebook page, and one girl actually called us last night to thank us! It was so thoughtful and really quite nice to talk to her. Madeleine's package is still atuck in some strange postal limbo, though it was supposedly delivered last Friday. I hope she gets it soon and enjoys it.

This will be our first Valentine's Day without Madeleine ... we are thinking some some nice romantic activities here at home, which should be fun. Last weekend we watched "Bridges of Madison County," which we had never seen, and both cried at the utter romance of it. I've always enjoyed the sentiments of Valentine's Day more than the buying a gift part, and Barney and I decided long ago to focus on experiences rather than things for this holiday.