When I grow up I want to be like my 16 year old cousin, Carly. She and her friends are having a "gal"entines get together (thank you Amy Poehler for my favorite word!) where they will be making blankets for kiddos in the hospital. I mean, were you this noble when you were 16? Carly is also wildly smart, hilarious, thoughtful, just, and beautiful. I just love her!
Anyway, what a beautiful way to celebrate valentines day, a day that usually leads to so many let downs, so much wasted money, just ugh. I have long wished to not celebrate valentines day, just because expressions of love are more meaningful on a day when they're not required. I'm also crowd averse, so please let's just stay home and boycott valentines day with a pizza on the couch. But Carly officially wins at valentines day. She is celebrating love by showing love to those could use a little extra.
Inspired by Carly, here are some ways to truly celebrate valentines day and spread the love:
(some of these are very specific to my geographical location and life, but there are similar scenarios near you, I promise)
- make blankets for kiddos or adults who are in the hospital. If you're not sure where to take them, I know a few places, or you can contact the child life department at your nearest children's hospital. The Child Life folks will know just what to do.
- bring a few bouquets of roses (de-thorned!) to a nursing home and pass out single roses to the residents and wish them a happy valentines day. It's likely been awhile since most of those folks have received a flower, and a flower can brighten a day. Kids passing out the flowers would make this exponentially better.
- I would love to be able to take a load of healthy snacks to the family lounge at the hem/onc unit at Wolfson. It's very challenging having a child in the hospital, and it's very challenging to leave your child's hospital room to get a meal, much less a healthy meal. At Wolfson there is a family lounge that is always open with coffee and hot water (sometimes/usually tea bags), a microwave, tables and chairs, and a tv. It looks out over the river. On several occasions people have donated snacks for the lounge, and they always go fast, but are always so very appreciated. It's meant a lot to me when someone considered the parents and delivered healthy things like bananas, apples, individually packaged cups of microwaveable oatmeal, granola bars, individual packs of crackers or trail mix, etc.
-Bring flowers to someone who has lost a loved one in the past year, especially a spouse or a child.
-make a connection and forgive someone who you have been holding a grudge against or estranged from. Far be it from me to tell you what to do, but it is a great act of love.
-hand write a letter to your child's teacher telling him/her the things you appreciate about them.
-babysit the kids of a single parent so s/he can have some time to him/herself.
-get background checked and fingerprinted and sign up to offer respite babysitting services to foster parents
-I'm still working on this one. I'd like to do something for some patients at the VA hospital across the street from our hospital. My resources are a bit limited, it's not like I can buy flowers and go pass them out. I need to be able to do something from our hospital and walk over to deliver it to the VA hospital and come right back. I can't leave Eli alone very long. I don't have space, access to a craft store, or much time. I have my crochet stuff, but I'm pretty slow. Anyone have any thoughts? Should Eli and I just make valentines cards?
There are at least a thousand more ways to show love on valentines day. What do you have in mind?
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