The Lost Valentine

Today's Story is by me and my daughter


Valentine's Day was a big deal in the Tisdale household.  There were three girls in the family. Marta was the oldest. Lena was in the middle. Kara was the youngest. Each year each child would get a card and a small gift. The gift might be chocolate or it might be a little toy or maybe even some flavored lip gloss or something.  They never knew what they were going to get, and they were always eager to find out.

The night before Valentine's Day, Lena could hardly sleep. She was so excited to wake up and get her Valentine's gift. She tried reading a little. She tried counting sheep. She even tried to lay really still and clear her mind, but nothing worked. After a long long while, she was finally able to drift off to sleep.

Lena awoke to the sound of screaming. It was her little sister, Kara. "Thank you, Mommy!" she shrieked excitedly. "I love my stuffed unicorn. I have always wanted one. I love the card too. I can't wait to use the stickers!"

Next Lena heard the voice of her older sister, Marta. "Thanks for the candy flavored lip gloss. I can't wait to try it!" she said happily.

Lena pratically jumped out of her bed. She was so excited to see what she got. She looked on her desk, but there was nothing there that hadn't been there they day before. She rushed out of her room and ran downstairs. She went in the kitchen. The table was all set for breakfast, but there was no card or present for her anywhere in sight.

Mommy was at the stove finishing making heart-shaped Valentine's day pancakes. "Happy Valentine's Day, sweetie." she greeted Lena cheerfully.

Lena waited for her Mom to tell her where her gift was, but Mom was too busy cooking. When she finished, she called up to Marta and Kara to come down so they could all eat breakfast, and they wouldn't be late for school.

When they sat down to eat, Lena looked at her plate sadly. Then, she got an idea and  excitedly lifted her plate into the air and looked under it. Her pancakes slid onto the table, and there was nothing under the plate.

"Lena!" exclaimed her mother in horror. "Put down your plate and eat your breakfast."

Lena sadly put her plate down, but she was too disappointed to eat. She just picked at her food. Soon, it was time to go to school. Lena sighed. So far, this was the worst Valentine's Day ever.

Later, when Lena got home from school, her mother greeted her at the door. "Hi sweetie." she said. "Did you have a nice day? Did you get lots of Valentine's?"

Lena looked at her mother as if she were going to cry. "I got Valentine's from the kids in my class." she said sadly.

Her mother was puzzled. "Isn't that a good thing?" she asked in confusion.

"It's not the same!" exclaimed Lena bursting into tears.

"The same as what?" Mommy inquired rushing to comfort Lena.

"The same as getting a special Valentine from you and Daddy."

Now, Mommy was really puzzled. "You didn't like the Valetine's card and gift we gave you this year?" she asked.

This time, it was Lena's turn to be puzzled. "What card?" she asked. "What gift? I didn't get anything."

"But I left it on your desk last night." insisted her mother. "Just like I did with your sisters'."

Lena hurried up to her room with her mother following closely behind. She looked all over her desk, but didn't see anything. "Look!" said Mommy she pointed to a colorful package sticking out from underneath the desk.

Lena got down on her hands and knees and quickly scooped it up and opened it. It was a sparkly charm bracelet with a heart charm. "Thank you, Mommy!" she exclaimed excitedly. Then, she opened the card and read it. It was the most beautiful card she had ever seen. "Thank you!" she said again. "This is the best Valentine' Day ever!" she exclaimed enthusiastically. "I'm glad you didn't forget me."

"Oh, honey." her mother assured her. "I would never forget you."