The word is mightier than the gift.

Valentines Day is only next week! I love to celebrate it as it is beautiful and it means a lot to  many people. I am sentimental so it means a lot to me!

We all know we have been affected by the words of others. Enormously. We remember and treasure beautiful words and they can be the dearest things in our hearts.

Also we all know how words can hurt and leave us bleeding and last forever.

I learned this early. My Dad would come down on us like a ton of bricks if we ever said anything mean. He had been a victim of a lot of bad words. As an adult he told me he had a school teacher when he was little who said he was dumb and he would only be a street sweeper. He was left handed, dyslexic and very shy. This school teachers words were still with him! But in his case they motivated him to great success and he said to me she was dead now, in a disappointed way.... obviously not knowing she was so wrong! (I think what a cow!) It caused me to never allow bad words in the home. All the time I knew of people who screamed bad words at each other in the home. Just no! 

In my own life I am easily wounded to hurtful words and yet really uplifted by beautiful or kind ones. They really stick. 

Amongst the treasures in my heart are words my Dad said to me after his Mother (Nan) died. We had all travelled home after a long day at Nan's funeral and it was a long trip after a long day. We had been blessed by having two weeks with Nan in the local hospital so we were able to see her everyday and she came out of hospital to my home. After school the girls and I would go in to see her, the girls would sit on the bed and chat to her. Also this time Nan saw my early embroidery and was just over the moon admiring it and encouraged me so much. This was one of my most treasured times and I am so grateful for it.

Anyway these two weeks was wonderful. She felt mostly well and happy and even enjoyed the trip down there which was in a plane and she could see Dad's farm or so she believed!

At the end of the fortnight I saw her off, Dad drove her back to the city and as I waved to her I knew I would never see her again. We had known this would be likely our last time...

Anyway forward not much more than a week and here we are back at the farm after her funeral... late at night.

I had a bath and wandered into the kitchen. There was my Father looking exhausted and worn, in his pyjamas, leaning on the kitchen bench in such a defeated way. And he said to me "Belle I want to thank you for being so good to Mum. You and Mum were like Angels to her." 

And just like that Dad had said something to me so big and so special that years later they are my treasure. It mean's a lot to me for heaps of reasons, one is that Dad referred to angels.

So that is my little example of how words can be.

I think at anytime, but we are talking about Valentines Day, words cannot be replaced by gifts. Most women I think could think of nothing lovelier than a love letter from their husband. Just wow!

In my world I think many men work so hard to support and love their families. And many don't get much thanks. Worse they feel they cannot provide enough. A love letter to tell them all you love about them, appreciate what they do would beat any gift.

Little notes from the children about what they love and what they appreciate would only add to it!

 I am going to post some ideas for inexpensive and lovely gifts but they will not be as special as this. 

To me Valentines Day is just an extra excuse to be sweet to someone. I am planning something for the old ladies Andy sees in the nursing home. If they never get visitors I would bargain it's a while since they got a Valentines Day gift. Well, I'm fixing that!

People's exteriors are tricky. With men I have a theory that the tougher they seem the softer and squishier they are on the inside. Telling them how much they are loved and appreciated might just be the biggest thing to them ever. 

I love Valentines Day!