Love Packaged

Poet Rupert Brook had a philosophy about love. He believed that before great love can enter a man or woman's life, there must be a sensitivity to simple things. One must appreciate the beauty of the practical and plain, for in those lies true beauty.

It is in the simple we break free of lofty expectations and disappointments that mask true emotion. In the understated, we find love's true resonating message. To that end, a few gift suggestions for your Valentine Rupert Brook would be proud of:

Jar of Love

Find a jar around the house, large or small. Fill it with slips of paper containing poetry, lyrics, special memories, notes of adoration. Instruct your Valentine to reach into the jar when he/she has had a difficult day or just wants to feel closer to you.

Memory Box

Shadow boxes provide the perfect framework for a memory box and can be found at most craft stores. Raid your drawers for trinkets, concert stubs, photo booth strips-anything that evokes a shared memory.

Love Puzzle

For next to no cost, you can take a favorite photograph of you and your Valentine to a photo mat and they'll convert it to a jigsaw puzzle. Piece together the puzzle in advance and write your love message on the back.

Find Your Symbol

I once read a story about a man who wrapped a pin designed with multiple-butterflies in a box with a note to his love that read, "These are the butterflies you gave me when we first met. I thought you might want them back." From that moment on, butterflies became their resonating symbol. Revisit special memories and seek out objects or icons with special significance.

Engraving From the Heart

Instead of purchasing new jewelry this Valentine's day, have an existing piece engraved with a special sentiment, a secret name, even an inside joke.

Twelve, One at a Time

For those who love to give roses, why not give them one at a time throughout your Valentine's day? Leave them in surprising places, alone or with a note of endearment.

Tomorrow: Time-Love expressed in thoughtful moments