Keepers: Words to live and love by this Valentine’s Day

You can buy chocolates or their favorite things, a dozen roses or shiny jewels, maybe even share a meal or a glass of bubbly with your honey or friend. But don’t forget to share some thoughts and words with the ones you love this Valentine’s Day. They might mean the most.

Hallmark was on to something.

Meaningful words – always said best, nicely printed in a card.

We do not always keep the cards, but they are significant at that moment and for that day and maybe the next.

My mom kept most cards. Not just from Valentine’s Day, but from all of the holidays and from all the people.

She kept cards. She kept books. She kept letters and mementos and Lord knows she certainly kept photos. All of that was evident in her beautiful lifetime. I knew she had an appreciation for all of those things but what I did not realize was how much inspirational words touched her. She loved words… well-written words and most of all, words from the heart.

After my mother's passing, when I was ready to step into her home office and spend some time in the room she treasured and spent so much time in as both a vibrant woman and a weak one fighting that rotten thing called cancer, I discovered clippings and quotations everywhere. These quotes and clippings were in little notebooks and day planners, in baskets and pouches and drawers. Some quotes were stuck in her cookbooks and some even had files of their own she titled Andrea’s Favorite Clippings and Keepers.

Keepers. Words that inspire us. Words that make us smile and laugh and cry. Words that we believe in and can share with our children and grandchildren when we are with them and when we are gone.

Words that may be our own, or in my mom’s case – often were not. She adored words she found from talented writers and authors, local publications and inspirational speakers. She would include quotes alongside messages and photos in her greeting cards to me, just like many of us now do on social media.

We need these words in our life. It is so good to read them and it is even better to share them. Due to the daily grind, work commitments and the chaos that is parenting, we often find ourselves forgetting to reach out to the ones closest to us…

Allow the calendar holiday that is Valentine’s Day change that. Share your words with your loved ones. If buying a card is the easiest way for you, do it. If pausing for a moment and sharing your thoughts over a glass of bubbly is best, do it. In this day and age and especially from afar, a phone call, email or text will even do.

Share love... and remember, you do not have to be all mushy gushy.

Leave that job up to the chocolate.

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Author's Note: Andrea Kornblue's Keepers file was one of the driving forces behind this blog. They are just too good not to share! You will see many of her favorite quotes, clippings, recipes and photos shared in many posts to come. Valentine’s Day seemed to be the best time to start xoxo