#623 timing

There are many ways to show your love to people.  On days like today, the traditional way is to exchange candy and valentines.  On the birth of a baby, people often deliver dishes of food.  When someone dies, people generally send flowers to the family.  All are wonderful, loving ways to show you care.

I challenge you to think about ways that you can express your love on a non-traditional timetable.  Instead of sending flowers to the funeral (when they are lost among the others), send flowers on the deceased's birthday or on Mother's/Father's day to let the bereaved know you are thinking of them.  We sent flowers to my mom on her first anniversary without my dad and included a simple "We miss him too" card.  A local funeral home is doing a free lunch today for widows as a way to provide companionship on a day that could be lonely.

A colleague is sending Girl Scout cookies to a couple with a child in the hospital.  "I'm sure this isn't on their mind, but I didn't want them to miss out on Thin Mints this year," she said.   Another colleague cooks the post-baby meal several weeks after the arrival, when all the other dinner deliveries have stopped.  We delivered a get-well basket three weeks after surgery when boredom trumps pain, but our colleague still can't return to work.

Small gestures often mean more than lofty bouquets or decadent chocolates:  Cleaning off someone's snowy car and icy windshield.  Raking your neighbor's lawn or shoveling their snow.  Offering to babysit.  Volunteering to help a colleague with a project.  Letting staff go home an hour early.

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day, but save that last arrow to shoot a little bit later.  It likely will mean more to the recipient.

--- beth triplett

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