My funny Valentine

My funny valentine
Sweet comic valentine
You make me smile with my heart

Your looks are laughable
Unphotographable
Yet you're my favorite work of art

A few years ago, I gave my husband a Valentine "mix" CD filled with love songs instead of a cheesy card. He loved it. The first song was Elvis Costello's version of My Funny Valentine. It perfectly sums up how we feel about each other. We may not be perfect, but to each other, we are our "favorite work of art."

I met my husband 15 years ago when I was working at my college newspaper. I was a reporter, and he, in an effort to score football tickets, was a photographer. We first were great friends. Then we began dating. We dated for exactly three years before we tied the knot. Eleven years and three children later, I love him more today than I did then. Maybe it's the history we've created together, maybe it's the bond that parenthood brings or maybe it's that our friendship always has been at the core of our relationship. We make each other laugh. We accept each other's flaws. We love each other, not despite our quirks but because of them.

Saturday night, my husband took me to see the a special Valentine show by the symphony. There were people of all kinds in the audience. Directly in front of us sat a couple who looked plain as could be. Totally unassuming. The man in his T-shirt and parka and the woman with no makeup or jewelry, looked to have been married for at least 20 years, a level of comfort had set in to their relationship. After each song, she would look at her husband and just smile. Next to them sat another couple who looked to be newly weds. He in his suit, and she in her frilly black dress and salon-done hair sat hand-in-hand. At the end of each song, they would look into each other's eyes and kiss. It was nice to see all of the people with the ones they loved, each in different stages of relationships. Some old, some young. Some simple, some extravagant. But no matter what each person looked like, next to them sat someone who found them absolutely perfect -- like a work of art.

And next to me, sat my funny Valentine. How in the world did I get to be so blessed?