When I was a young mother with four young daughters at home, I was forever trying to come up with ideas to preserve memories, especially when it came to the holidays. Keep in mind, there was no Pinterest at the time, the 1980s and 1990s to be exact. My ideas came from talking with other mothers, reading magazines and books, and just tapping into my own imagination.
So one Valentine’s Day, I came up with the idea that I would cut out pink paper hearts and pass them out to everyone for special messages to give to one another. I’m not even sure where I got this idea. But I informed the family that our messages could be a Bible verse, a word of encouragement, compliments, etc. Everyone was on board the first year we tried this, 1995.
The girls took off to various parts of the house to start the family project. Not a whimper or a snicker could be heard! We read each message aloud around the dinner table that first year. The heartfelt compliments they wrote for one another were fit for a king. The love and kindness and positivity embedded in the messages were sweeter than any Valentine candy or chocolates we consumed for the holiday. I’ll share a few now.
From Liz to Tavia: You are the best 6-year-old sister in the world! You are so nice to play with me! What would I do if I did not have you? You have best ideas to play. Love ya lots.
From Hannah to Amanda: Hey Baby! Ha, ha, just joking. You’re a great sister, and I know I can trust you and that I can ask you for advice. Happy Valentine’s Day!
From Tavia to Liz: You are my best bud! You are really fun at playing. I like it most when you play Pet Shop with me.
From Hannah to Dad: Thank you for everything you do for this family. You are a very hard-working person. You are a very supporting father. You are the best!
From Amanda to me: You are such a great mom! I know your mother is proud of you as she smiles down from heaven. I will look to you as an example when I later (much later) become a mom. I love you lots! (Well, that one’s a tear jerker for me.)
After the chocolates were in our tummies, I used our empty Valentine candy box to store all the hearts in, and we continued this activity for a couple more years.
The Valentine box filled with heart messages from 1995-1997 is now stored in my antique chest that rests at the foot of our bed, full of memories of those special years we took the time to write out our family messages to one another. As sure as my heart beats, this treasure is priceless!
Do you have any special Valentine’s Day projects or ideas to share? I’d love to hear! As always, I reply to all comments. Feel free to forward to a friend.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all my readers!
Happy St. Valentine’s Day! Sucha a sweet story.
This year my team at work will be exchanging Valentine’s greeting cards. Looking forward to it!
Thank you, Jean. Happy Valentine’s Day to you as well. I love what your team at the Humane Society is doing to celebrate Valentine’s Day!