There are few things that feel better than receiving a
thoughtful, personal, handwritten note.
Love notes are big around here in our home. I started thinking about all of the places
where notes show up and what they mean to me.
Welcome home notes Ava leaves around the house, when we
arrive home from a trip out of town.
A love note written on Ava’s lunch napkin, I leave as a
surprise for her every day.
Notes of thanks I send to the people I appreciate in my
professional life.
Daily detailed notes exchanged between Becky (our nanny) and
me about the kids. I love these notes as
it helps me feel connected to the little things that go on each day when I’m
not around. Everything from what Carson
had for lunch to the smile on his face when he discovered how to use the brakes
on his bike.
The ongoing journal of notes Matt and I have exchanged
between us over the past fourteen years.
On our first anniversary of marriage we started a journal together, a
place for us to exchange thoughts of gratitude to one another.
What I love most is there has never been any rules or expectations, no pressure. Whoever has the journal last is expected to pass it on when they feel like it. I love the surprise of a note showing up in the most unlikely place when I least expect it.
What I love most is there has never been any rules or expectations, no pressure. Whoever has the journal last is expected to pass it on when they feel like it. I love the surprise of a note showing up in the most unlikely place when I least expect it.
This month, leading up to Valentine’s Day, our family shared
14 days of what we love most. It was fun to learn what is most important to
each of us, right now.
One of the reasons I love sharing notes is that they become
a record, they linger. They tell us the
story of a snapshot in time. Notes are
often read in the private and quiet space of our mind where they can resonate
more deeply than spoken dialogue. A note is something we can remember and
revisit when we really need it. I often
keep the best ones for the times I need them most.
Notes can be the quiet strength we draw from while preparing
to respond. In the midst of challenge,
sometimes rereading notes of the past can bring light to a lost
perspective.
I will continue writing love notes to my kids because if
there is any light I can leave on for them in this world, maybe this is it.