Little Love Notes

As a little girl, I loved to leave secret love notes under my parent’s pillows. The idea of them laying down at night to discover my sweet nothings delighted me. Early on in my marriage, I discovered the value of a note to share the intimate thoughts threatening to overpower my heart, but also to focus on the positive, and to let my husband know I was thinking of him when we were apart.

I used to travel for my work and stopped in a whimsical shop at the Seattle airport before a flight one morning. The store had a brightly colored notepad fool of silly, sexy, and fun messages on a series of postcards. That little notepad lasted me for years – slipped in Tim’s lunch bags, under his pillow, in a suitcase. Writing those notes took only a few minutes, but they brought a spark to my day and I know they meant a lot to him.

While preparing a Christmas message this past December for church, I came across this quote. I think you can omit “Christmas” and put “day”, so I am going to take that liberty here.
“This [day], mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again.” – Howard W. Hunter 


This morning, I saw several links to a post by Jennifer Labit encouraging her readers to strive to be positive and to spread those feelings to others. She inspired me to remember the joy that comes from serving and caring for others, the energy that comes from giving someone else a lift. Jennifer invited readers to encourage others today and come back and share their experiences and ideas. Here are a few ideas I have:
1. My mom used to surprise me with notes of encouragement and love in my lunch box. I’m going to uplift my little girl with notes of my own this coming week.
2. Three kids make finding the inspiration and spare moments trickier, but even though those little notecards are gone, I can still discover ways to remind my husband that he is important and causes butterflies in my tummy. This can be as easy as posting on his facebook wall, but never underestimate the beauty of a handwritten note.
3. Last night, I found myself telling a small businesswoman how much a friend loved the gift I purchased from her shop. I came back for another gift and wanted to share my thanks. Spread some cheer this weekend by sharing your appreciation for a well made item, great customer service, and generous giveaways.
4. If I have an issue or concern – with an individual or business – I have a commitment to addressing it privately and respectively. Public forums such as facebook walls can cause unnecessary damage to someone’s reputation and public negative comments only fuel the fires of negativity and frustration. Give someone the benefit of the doubt and the opportunity to right a wrong privately.
5. Call a friend just because as soon as it comes to mind. Our lives are busy. These calls are almost never convenient, but I can’t tell you what it’s meant to have a good friend call me out of the blue just to see how I’m doing, just when I needed it. Call it the Holy Spirit, call it intuition, or just being aware of others, but it matters.
6. Say I love you. Say it again. Then once more.


How are you inspired to lift someone else today?