Tales From the Front by Cheryl Lavin

Anybody can give chocolates and roses for Valentine's Day, but let's hear it for the guys with the nerve to give pliers, an oven mitt or a bottle of bubbles.

SALLY: For our first Valentine's Day, my husband gave me a "corn cob" toilet paper holder and an oven mitt that said, "Kiss the Cook." For the last 31 Valentine's Days, we've discussed that very "special" one in 1981.

KEITH: Four weeks ago, my wife fell and sustained a head injury. She's been in the hospital ever since. So on Valentine's Day, I visited her there.

I brought her a card with a homemade coupon for rose bushes, which I'll plant in the spring. No point in flowers. There's no space in her room. I can't bring candy or take her out to dinner because she hasn't re-learned how to swallow.

We sat together and cuddled and carried on as much of a conversation as she's capable of. Then we went to a party in the hospital. When we came back to the room, I held her hand as she drifted off to sleep.

This isn't the Valentine's Day I was planning, but under the circumstances, it's the best we could manage. I'm grateful my wife recognizes me and can converse somewhat. I'm also thankful that she is mobile and is healing reasonably quickly.

Don't take your significant other for granted; things can change in a second.

SHELLEY: I got a heart-shaped box of chocolates. On top were some beautiful snap-ring pliers, exactly what I wanted.

CYNTHIA: In 1953, I spent Valentine's Day at the USO, dancing.

At 10 p.m., I took a cab to the train station, dressed in a formal gown and a black velvet cape. The station was crowded with homeless drunks.

As I sat down, in the only empty chair, next to a man who seemed to be sleeping, my handbag popped open. He jumped up to pick up my things. When he handed them to me, I looked into the sexiest blue eyes I'd ever seen.

He was on his way home from work, waiting for the same train. We married in August 1954 and raised five children. Every year on Valentine's Day, he brought me a single red rose, a box of chocolate-covered cherry cordials and a lovely card addressed "To my darling wife" and signed "Your loving husband." We celebrated our 50th anniversary in August 2004. In January 2005, he died of a massive stroke.

Now on Valentine's Day, I set our wedding and 50th anniversary portraits on the coffee table with a bottle of wine and a box of cherry cordials. Then, I watch an old love story on DVD and read some of those beautiful Valentines.

JANICE: When I was 18, I got a dozen roses from a guy I didn't really like. The guy I liked showed up at my apartment with a bottle of soap bubbles. We sat outside and blew bubbles. I liked them better than the roses.

Fast forward a few years. My husband bought me a bunch of my favorite candy bars. We were so broke that a box of chocolates was out of the question. The fact that he thought about what I liked and made a trip to the store meant everything. Guess that's why we're going on 37 years.

Have you tried Internet dating? Send your tale, along with your questions, problems and rants to cheryllavinrapp@gmail.com. To find out more about Cheryl Lavin, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com.

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