It was Valentine’s Day week. The teacher started passing out brown paper lunch sacks to all the kids in class. Everyone was told to put their names on them (something I often forgot to do, even on tests!) and then decorate the sacks with crafting supplies.
It was an art storm. We all slaughtered each other to get the best art supplies. You know, the good markers, the new glue (not the funky one), and the scissors that actually cut. We decorated our bags with bright red hearts, glitter stars, and spaceships. Okay, maybe only mine had spaceships. Then, we taped them to the front of our molded plastic, melamine-topped desks.
The classroom was covered in hearts. Pink and red corrugated borders lined the bulletin boards our teacher had created to set the tone for the season. Educational diagrams, hearts, math equations, roses, ABCs, and chemistry lab cutouts all invited us to enjoy some fun and learning.
Later that day, our teacher would call out, “It’s time to distribute Valentine’s Day cards!” and a dance of chaos ensued as kids raced around, delivering cheer to the hanging paper bag mailboxes on every desk.
Whenever kids move, their vocal cords move too. They can’t help it. I can still hear that happy childhood chatter in my mind. We’d bump into each other, racing to pass out the mass-produced, nearly microscopic, 24-for-a-dollar Valentine’s cards to everyone in the room.
I couldn’t wait to get back to my desk and see what my paper bag would reveal. It was always such a special and fun day. I would look to see who signed each card and what special marks or jokes they might have added to wish me a happy Valentine’s.
No, it wasn’t about finding a special someone. Gross! What third-grader would want that? Instead, it was about making a connection with everyone in the room. The friends you knew well, and those you didn’t. As I read each card, I remember the warm feeling it gave me, the sense of community I was part of in that moment. My fellow classmates and I had connected in a fun and meaningful way that didn’t happen during recitation or recess. There was a lot of smiling.
Small things matter. The little acts we do for each other connect us. We weave our lives into the preciousness of others by sharing even the slightest of gestures and acts of kindness. As we head into Valentine’s Day, put on some childhood glasses and think how this day of love and kindness can be used as an innocent and glorious way to better connect to the ones we know and don’t know.
We don’t have to buy greetings cards or even decorate a lunch paper sack. But we can smile, hold the door open for each other, say a kind word to a coworker or neighbor you don’t even know. Spread some kindness. Celebrate love and connection this week.
So, my Valentine’s card to you is a sage bit of advice.
”Don’t trust stairs… They are always up to something!”
Yes, I’m pretty sure Dad jokes make great Valentine’s Day cards too. (Well, maybe that’s just me!)
Have a great week, and happy Valentine’s Day!
