Miller Time Friday: Bleeding Hearts

Ah love.

We all fall in love and we all fall out of love and that is part of the great mystery and beauty that is life.

But today, let's focus on first loves, shall we?  The love where you are beside yourself with emotion and youth and naïveté.

Let me take you back to the 1976-77 school year.  I am in grade 8.  There is a country boy I like very much.  He is very shy.  I am not shy, but I am pretty shy about boys.  In those days we have "socials" once a month - little dances with DJs, and streamers and balloons, that are the height of our social calendars (who am I kidding - they are the only thing on our social calendars!).  It takes until January for him to ask me to dance.  He only dances waltzes.  So we dance to Elton John and Englebert Humperdink and Barry Manilow.

After every social, I stay over night at my best friend's house and we dissect every conversation between ourselves and our beaus.  Once, he misses a dance.  I am devastated.  I cry for two days, playing my England Dan and John Ford Coley album over and over again until it begins to skip.  My heart bleeds.

He lives half an hour outside of town, so the only time we can really see each other is at school and at these once-a-month dances. It is very romantic.  Finally, in May, he asks me on a date!  We go to the only movie that is in town that weekend, a Winnie the Pooh movie, chaperoned by his older sister and her boyfriend, who can drive.  Afterwards, we go to McDonalds and he pays for my french fries and my chocolate milkshake.

And then, I move away.  Oh, we write once or twice, but really, we are 14 years old, what can you expect? Seven years later, he becomes a pilot and is tragically killed in a freak plane accident.  You never forget your first love, do you?  Others will come and some will be happier and some will be sadder and some will be grand and some will prove not worth it at all.  But you will always have the first in a special place in your heart and you nurture it and take it out for a spin now and then to remember.

I thought of him this week, because my bleeding hearts are in bloom.

Flowerinfo.org gives the following description of the bleeding heart:

Because of its characteristic shape, the bleeding heart flower is at the center of many folkloric tales. One of the best known stories – which has many variations – is generally told directly through the anatomy of the plant itself. This story tells of a prince who tries to win the heart of a beautiful maiden by giving her gifts. With each gift, two of the petals are removed. Despite his attempts, the maiden continues to refuse the prince, and so he pierces himself through the heart – the heart having been formed with the discarded petals, the knife with the green stamen. The essence of the bleeding heart flower is said to open up and strengthen the heart chakra, which in turn causes a person to feel emotionally soothed and open to the possibility of new romance. It is thought to be especially useful after a heartbreak. These blossoms are also frequently used in love spells. One such spell includes braiding the flowers into your hair, lighting a white candle in honor of the goddess of love, and reciting a poem or incantation.

Although they may not be as common as other blooms, the bleeding heart flower can make a great romantic gift. These blossoms are almost exclusively considered a symbol of undying love, and are frequently given at weddings and special milestones like anniversaries or birthdays. These flowers make for a unique, stunning bouquet, but can also be given in gift baskets or as single-bud tokens of affection.

So - if you care to, please share your first love - would love to hear the story!

In honour of my first love and my then and subsequent bleeding hearts, let's make the bleeding heart cocktail, shall we?

To make the Bleeding Heart add one cup of sugar and one cup of water to a small saucepan. Dissolve over a medium heat stirring occasionally  Make sure the sugar completely dissolves and boils for a few minutes. Take off heat and cool. Blend a punnet of raspberries until liquified and strain. Add to cooled syrup and mix well. Pour into heart shaped moulds and freeze. Then add to Champagne or Sparkling Wine and watch your heart fall and dissolve into red, but delicious, mush. Drink in immoderation!

Have a happy Friday, and stay safe out there!