I have this lovely woman who is a neighbor of mine and oh, the lessons I seem to always take from her. Her husband who has been battling cancer with infusions for years just had a birthday. We dropped by a small bag of breakfast (freshly baked muffins, oatmeal, a banana) & some other small gifts. It was a smattering of simple gifts. Not a big deal, but I always try to put some intention into gifts (especially because of his sweet wife)
They go by Patty Peace and Jack Joy. I LOVE THAT SO. They are this incredible twosome that she creates the gifts and letters and he drops them off (in a secret manner). We see them always putting about the neighborhood leaving little notes and packages of JOY and PEACE in all they do. We have received dozens of door drop delights! She makes these sweet, homemade ornaments of magazine clipped words and images, glued on to card stock, whole-punched with a ribbon for hanging and a very thoughtful, handwritten note. She will then add additional notes on folded paper and then specially places them in envelopes decorated with more whimsy or she will add them to a shirt box with folded tissue paper with the lovely contents inside and tied with many colors of curling ribbon. There is always so much time, detail and intention made with every one of her delights. I smile and excitedly open the gifts to see what is inside. Sometimes she will add a scarf, bangle bracelets, maybe a hand lotion, a tiny pkg of Kleenex…Lots of little odds and ends of surprises.
I just now received another one of their sweet delights. I read a thank you letter of gratitude for all the little gifts we left for Jacks birthday. She listed every single little thing. She even thanked us for the banana! “Thank you for the banana so perfectly shaped and tasted so Divine that if there had been a scramble to claim it you would have heard from your house, “it’s mine!” haha
She noticed and gave thanks for every detail—even a small heart-shaped rock we included. She wrote such gratitude with every line of her note. It was the sweetest thing.
I put the note down & said, “I learn so many small things from this wonderful woman!” To hear someone be so grateful for a simple banana. It touched me so. I immediately felt like I can always do better and better. To aspire to be more like Patty Peace.
We talk to people daily. We pass strangers by all the time, we receive gifts of care from neighbors, we share in so many moments with a variety of people…all connections…
may we begin to notice a smile and give thanks. may we leave a secret note for a stranger. may we give thanks for the tiny, small graces that we are gifted each day…like a banana.
I love that!!
Make it a lovely day full of little, sweet surprises that you begin to notice within every detail.
xoxo. -H
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