e.e. cummings wrote 900 poems, one of which is the popular love poem, “i carry your heart with me.” This love poem is often presented as a love letter, a lover’s Valentine poem, or a wedding poem expressing true love. 

The love poem by e.e. cummings makes an excellent love song when set to music. Michael Hedges has set “i carry your heart” to music on his “Taproot” album. Hedges sings the lead and David Crosby and Graham Nash sing the backup vocals.

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

Are you looking for a special Valentine’s Day gift for your grandchild? Instead of candy, toys, books, clothes…why not treat them to something different this year? I’ve searched the internet and found the following fantastic events taking place in New Jersey for both grandchildren and grandparents to enjoy. Happy Valentine’s Day!

February 1 – 29, 2008
Essex County

Solar Space Storms
Newark Museum’s Dreyfuss Planetarium
49 Washington Street
Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: 973-596-6529
For ages 10 and up, see and learn how glowing solar storms create the Northern Lights
Wed – Fri at 2 pm, Sat & Sun at 2 & 4 pm
Tickets: $3.00 (kids & seniors $2.00);
Museum $9.00 (kids & seniors $6.00)

February 8, 2008
Monmouth County

The Search for the Glowing Orb 
Kateri Environmental Center
160 Conover Road
Wickatunk (Marlboro Twp), NJ 07765
Phone: 732-946-9694
6-9 pm, ages 7 and older, shows begin every 15 minutes
Tickets: advance sales only $10, $8 members of Kateri

February 9, 2008
Essex County

Reptile World with Michael Shwedick
Millburn Middle School Auditorium
25 Old Short Hills Road
Millburn, NJ 07041
Contact: millburncoop@gmail.com
Sponsored by Millburn Cooperative Nursery School
An expert reptile educator and entertainer, Michael Shwedick will amaze his audience with live alligators, crocodiles, turtles, beautiful snakes, tropical lizards and more!! With his spectacular reptile collection, Michael shows what makes reptiles so special, what makes them different from birds and mammals, and how important they are in our environment. Many monster myths and misconceptions will be dispelled and replaced with a greater appreciation and understanding of these fascinating creatures. Michael Shwedick has appeared on national TV and in magazines including National Geographic WORLD.
The show is especially entertaining for kids ages 3-12.
Tickets: $9 at the door, or $8 in advance.

February 9 & 10, 2008
Bergen County

Mardi Gras Celebration
NJ Children’s Museum
599 Valley Health Plaza
Paramus, NJ
Phone: 201-262-5151
Email: infonjcm@aol.com
We’re having a Mardi Gras party New Orleans’s style down at the NJ Children’s Museum and you’re invited! Join us during our special parade held twice each day and toss out beads to your family and friends. Make a special Mardi Gras mask to take home during our craft times. No additional fees for activities!
Addmission: $10.00 adults and children over 1.

February 9 – March 2, 2008
Monmouth County

The Big Bad Musical
(click on Children’s Entertainment Series on left)
Eatontown Playhouse
37 – 13 Route 35 N
Eatontown, NJ 07724
Phone: 732-888-3346
12 noon, Saturdays and Sundays
Tickets: $16, $13 age 65 +, students

February 13, 2008
Morris County

Kids’ Club
Museum of Early Trades & Crafts
9 Main Street
Madison, NJ 07940
Phone: 973-377-2982
Kids’ Club is a special monthly after-school program for children ages 7-11. Each month children will learn about a different historic craft. Club members will have a hands-on experience, while using their creativity, to make a craft of their very own to bring home. Sign-up for one session or the entire season.
Pre-registration is required. Call x12 for more information. 3:30 pm.

February 16, 2008
Cape May County

Kids Can Rock
Nature Center of Cape May
1600 Delaware Avenue
Cape May, NJ 08204
Phone: 609-898-8848
Fossils, rocks, and bones hold the mysteries of the ages in their depths. Young explorers ages six to 12 are invited to unlock their secrets under the direction of NCCM Naturalist Kim Hannum. Participants will dig for fossils, investigate the secrets of rocks, and identify mysterious animal bones. Each child will take home their discoveries and fossil identification book. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged.
11 a.m. to 1 pm
Admission: $15.00, $10 NJ Audubon Society members

February 26, 2008
Sussex County

Mother Nature’s Myth vs. Fact
Kittatinny Valley State Park
157 Goodale Road
Newton, NJ 07860
Phone: 973-786-6445
PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED BY FEB. 25. For adults and focused children ages 8-12. Can porcupines shoot their quills? Do toads give us warts? Are there wolves in NJ? A park naturalist will dispel those myths and others to discover the truth about our local wildlife.

February 28, 2008
Ocean County

Jr. Biologist Program
Jenkinson’s Aquarium
300 Ocean Boulevard
Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742
Phone: 732 -899-1659
Ever wonder what it’s like to work at Jenkinson’s Aquarium? Go behind the scenes, help us feed some animals along the way, and learn what it takes to work here.
9:00am - 12:00pm Ages 11-16,
Tickets: $40.00 per person.

February 29, 2008
Somerset County

Moscow Circus
The Theater at Raritan Valley Community College
SR 28
North Branch, NJ 08876
Phone: 908-725-3420
Circus artistry and entertaining Russian clowns never cease to entertain, amuse, and enlighten.
Tickets: $30 and $35, 7 pm

Now that Christmas and Emily’s birthday are behind us, it is time to plan for Valentine’s Day. They both have received many, many toys since then so we give them just a few sweets wrapped with Valentine themed presents other than toys. With the high cost of gasoline these days, I prefer shopping online, especially when I can get free or low cost shipping. I’ve listed some Valentine themed books I think our grandchildren might like to receive from Nana and Poppy - now which ones to choose - that’s the hard part…

My Fuzzy Valentine

The Night Before Valentine’s Day

Where Is Baby’s Valentine?: A Lift-the-Flap Book

The Biggest Valentine Ever

Max’s Valentine (Max Board Books)

Elmo’s Valentine (A Chunky Book(R))

Corduroy’s Valentine’s Day

Dora’s Valentine Adventure (Dora the Explorer)

My First Valentine’s Day Book (First Holiday Books)

Minnie’s Valentine (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)

The Berenstain Bears’ Funny Valentine (First Time Books(R))

Blue’s Valentines Day (Blue’s Clues)

It’s Valentine’s Day (Mulberry Read-Alones)

Be Mine: A Book of Rockin’ Valentines (Hannah Montana)

Valentine Surprise

Be My Valentine, Amelia Bedelia

Strawberry Shortcake: Be My Valentine! (Strawberry Shortcake)

A Recipe for Valentine’s Day: A Rebus Lift-the-Flap Story

All New Crafts For Valentines

Queen of Hearts (Ann Estelle Stories) (Ann Estelle Stories)

Also read: A Great Grandparent - Grandchild - Valentine’s Day Gift, Grandparents and Grandchildren Valentine Fun, and Valentine Gifts for Grandchildren

The following are Valentine’s Day tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Please feel free to excerpt these tips or use them in their entirety for any print or broadcast story with appropriate attribution of source.(Also read Grandparents and Grandchildren Valentine Fun, A Great Grandparent - Grandchild - Valentine’s Day Gift, and Valentine Gifts for Grandchildren)

American Academy of Pediatrics, 2/08

Just for fun, take time to explore some free Valentine’s Day Activity Sites to help you plan your visits with your grandchilddren, whether side by side or computer to computer…

• BlackDog’s Valentine’s Day Fun and Games
• abc Teach Valentine’s Day Directory
• Kidsturncentral Valentine Fun
• Valentine Party Fun
• Child Fun
• Everything Valentine’s
• Make a Valentine Gift Coupon Book
• Valentine’s Fun Cards
• Paper Valentines for Kids
• Valentine’s Day Crafts
• 14 Ways to Show Love for Your Grandchild This Valentine’s Day
• A Great Grandparent - Grandchild - Valentine Gift

Create a memory…My grandmother, I remember, sent me a box full of candy hearts when I was about six or seven…the ones with the messages. I can still remember being so excited because I realized I could actually read them! You can plan together or surprise each other with activities you choose to do together or make and send to each other. If you mail your Valentine Surprises, then make sure you get to UPS or USPS in enough time. The week leading up to Valentine’s Day is very busy for them so it may take a little longer.

And as our almost two-year-old grandchild, Emily, says…”wuv woo” and her six-year-old sister, Kaitlin, says, “Have a Happy, Lovey, Valentine’s Day!”