For our wedding a little over a year ago, my partner and I chose a poem by Hafiz called “Our Union,” which my aunt read out to all of us gathered under a tree in the November late-afternoon sunlight. It’s short, so I’ll include most of it here:
“Our union is like this: You feel cold, so I reach for a blanket to cover our shivering feet. A hunger comes into your body, so I run to my garden and start digging potatoes. You asked for a few words of comfort and guidance, and I quickly kneel by your side, offering you a whole book as a gift.”
We chose this for the way it reminds us to care for one another in little, everyday ways. (We also appreciated that potatoes got a shout-out.) But reading it now I realize that the poem articulates something else: that giving small tokens to the ones we love is not about the object itself, but rather a way to say I see you.
If you’re looking for your own token of love to give this Valentine’s Day, here are the handmade finds that our editors are considering. Not pictured, but also on our list: just-baked batches of cookies, the offer to babysit for an afternoon, and little love notes by the coffee maker.
