Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

The first year Earl and I dated we gave each other Valentine’s Day gifts that were thoughtful and appropriate for the arc of our relationship.

He gave me a signed and numbered print from the G. Harvey catalog. Titled “Exhibition Day” it depicts a group of visitors to the Art Institute of Chicago at the turn of the twentieth century. They are braving winter weather, perhaps waiting for the museum to open, as they stand in front of the famous lions. The artwork hangs in our bedroom today.

I gave Earl a baseball; not the kind found on a baseball diamond or in Cooperstown. Rather this baseball was made by the Irish luxury crystal company, Waterford®. Waterford is known for the way its pieces are cut to enhance their sparkle.

The baseball rests on our vanity in the main bathroom, which might seem like an odd place to display a piece of crystal. But the bathroom is a shrine to baseball with a variety of relevant art on the wall and a wallpaper border of baseballs making home runs at the ceiling.

Over the years we’ve had fancy celebrations and not-so-fancy. This time we agreed to exchange cards only. But it was fine, because in the thirty years since the G. Harvey and the Waterford® baseball showed up, our home has acquired more of the artist’s work and more baseball memories. Really, those are the best Valentine’s Day gifts.