Valentine's Day

On St. Valentine's Day in fourth grade (or was it fifth?) it rained, the worst storm of the season. Though we lived nearby, my mother drove several classmates and me home that afternoon.

During the day, we exchanged little cards, with candy hearts and other treats. As we unwrapped the contents of our construction paper mailboxes, we watched out the window as the nearby creek ceased to keep pace with the dark skies and the playgrounds out back grew into a giant mud puddle, several inches deep. The water never harmed the buildings, but the field became a lake.

Said one of the boys, "I can't wait until our next football game!"