Love is like a blanket

​One of my dear teacher friends was recently asked by one of her third grade students to deliver a love note. The note simply read:

From Lori. Love you Seth.

(names changed to protect the innocence of the 3rd graders)

My friend delivered the note. And as a recovering third grade love note passing addict who had more than one note confiscated by a teacher, I give my friend a standing ovation! 👏

She said about the young man who received the note: "he held on to it the entire class like it was his blanket. All smiles...."

I thought, what a beautiful scene.

Of course the love cynic in me told her to tell that young man to hang on to that blanket because love gets much more complicated. 🙄🤷‍♂️

I do love the imagery of that, though. Love like a blanket. Today is Valentines day and hearts will be the more popular symbol for love. But I think I'd like to propose that next year we exchange blankets.

I like the thought that love isn't an inside out heart to heart exchange but more a covering of one another. Love isn't buried deep within, it's exchanged on the surface. With a blanket.

If you want to research a holiday that literally no one agrees on where it came from, research Valentine's Day. The historical accounts are all over the place. But one account I read and will choose to go with attaches the holiday to a saint known for his empathy.

For today, I'd like to think of empathy as a gnawing desire to know who needs a blanket. Who needs covered in love right now? And the gnawing gets so persistent and unbearable that one finally just decides that everyone needs a blanket.

Because everyone does. Everyone needs love. Everyone needs a blanket to hold on to. All smiles....

Happy Valentines Day dear friends.

While your passing out cards and candies and flowers today - all beautifully appropriate gestures - maybe consider giving someone a blanket.

And if you are wondering who might need one - that answer is easy.

Everyone.

Everyone needs a blanket.