My neighbors Parker and Patty are always telling me how proud they are to be a part of Port O’Connor, Texas. They say it is a great community and so friendly.

When oldest son Peter was in Kindergarten, he came home very excited about trading Valentines with his friends at school. Patty took him to the store and he picked out Snoopy cards and Tootsie Pop suckers to share with his class. He took his little pencil and began to address his cards.

His mom got busy cooking dinner and after a bit returned to check on her son. Several cards had names written on them with newly learned letters carefully printed by the young boy. Next to the growing stack of cards sat more than a dozen suckers without wrappers and obviously licked and sampled. Disturbed to see this, Patty asked Peter why the suckers were open.

The boy joyfully replied that he was simply tasting them trying to pick his best friends’ favorite flavors to go with their cards. He explained that he didn’t lick much and would wrap them back up before gifting them.

After Patty stopped laughing she carefully explained that Peter couldn’t pre-sample the Valentine suckers and helped her young son read the flavors on the wrappers to match them with his friends’ favorite. Peter took his treasured treats to all his friends at school and kept the prelicked suckers for himself and his sister.

Peter gave many more Valentines, but Patty never forgot the hilarious generosity of his first Valentine exchange. He’s been teased often about his soggy suckers. Happy Valentines!