My young life was filled with whimsical experiences thanks to the fact that I had loving parents who were both creative and playful. One birthday morning, when I was still in grade school, I awoke to find an envelope at the foot of my bed attached to a string. My eyes followed that string as it dropped to the floor and wound around the leg of a small table before its path continued out of my room. My parents arrived, just in time, to sing "Happy Birthday" and help me read the card which informed me that a present could be found at the end of the string. Following that string probably took me less than a minute and yet that birthday memory still feels magical after all these years.
Curious about what rekindled that memory? It was a letter that I received several weeks ago from the daughter of a dear friend... a kindergartner and neighbor when we first met...now an adult with her own teen-aged daughters. In her letter she was reminiscing about the childhood fun we'd had being neighbors and recalled one of her favorite birthday memories where she found a note at the bottom of her bed attached to a string. She'd delighted in following that string as it wound through her house - out her front door - around some bushes and across the yard - ending at the front porch of the house where my mom and I lived. We were waiting with a present. I guess you might say that we decided it was an idea that deserved an encore.
Looking for a new and unusual way to celebrate Valentine's Day, this year? Let a string lead that special someone to a menu borrowed from a favorite restaurant where reservations are waiting. Or, have the string lead to the refrigerator where a favorite dessert just asks to be shared. After all, sometimes it's the smallest idea that leads to the biggest memory. Happy Valentine's Day!
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