Dear Hallmark,

Dear Hallmark Corp,

First let me say "thank you" for so many of the blessings you provided me while I was growing up. My parents owned a chain of Hallmark stores in Virginia. I still recall each and every store, along with its backroom, loading dock and many of the store managers. My very first job was clerking behind the register. I learned to count money and make change ringing up Shoebox cards, wrapping paper and gifts.

But I feel I have to let you know something today. Last night I stumbled across the Love Comes Softly movie you were playing and it caused me great emotional distress - plus, roughly a half a box of tissues. Those were my tears you jerked out of me.

Today - after the some comments left by friends - I turned on the TV again to see if you were in fact running other such movies in what they told me was a series. Sure enough, this is a 14 hour marathon. OH HELP ME LORD! So now I've lost an entire Saturday afternoon, and at least 2 quarts of salt water, to you and your movies which play with my emotions like a kitten with string.

I really need to go to the grocery store for more tissues, and for ingredients if I'm going to make dinner tonight. But how can I do that when you run movie after movie in this series back-to-back? Besides, the store clerks would wonder why my eyes are so swollen and my nose is red. I fear my kids and I just might starve. (Good thing hubby is out of town this weekend.)

I thought I was going to get a reprieve tonight at 9:00 pm when the saga concludes with Love's Unfolding Dream, but no - the series is not concluding! At 9:00 pm comes the "world premiere" of the newest movie in the "Love" series: Love Takes Wing. Now I ask you, how can I miss the world premiere? ... Unless I'm in the hospital by then due to starvation or severe dehydration.

And there's more, next Saturday evening is the premiere of the 8th movie in the series, Love Finds a Home.

I'll tell you what "Love takes" ... this love movies series takes a lot of time to watch. And and lot of tissues to get through. And a lot of chocolate to soothe me. And the phone number to Domino's.

Oh, and a heart of stone not to love it back. So I have a feeling it's also going to cost me a few dollars at the bookstore to purchase the entire series to read. Hallmark, I guess now you're taking after all those years of giving when I was young. Well, I reckon that fair.

Y'all let me know if you watch it tonight.