The Love Box

Three years ago I started this little tradition.

I love it!

Each day leading up until Valentine's Day

I leave a special treat

in the kids' Love Boxes!

They are so excited as they awake to see if their mailbox flag is up

and if they have received a package!

It's always something small.

A treat.

A trinket.

A note.

But it's the small things that matter.

So from Feb 1 until Feb 14,
we celebrate 14 days of love & appreciation!
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On a side note,

I love making others feel special 

and it's as fun for me to put these together 

and watch the kids open them

as it is for them to receive it.

But sweet little sensitive Taylee noticed the other day,

"Mommy how come your mailbox is always empty?"

I scrambled to explain to her that it's ok if my mailbox is empty

because Mommy's real Love Box is full of love for her kids.

She squinted and thought about that for a moment 

but wouldn't accept my explanation.

"Well that's not fair, you should get a treat too."

I was trying to rush them out the door for school and 

we kind of dropped the subject.

That night I had the church girls over for an Activity.

We were making invitations for their upcoming Recognition Night.

Of course Taylee is always right in the mix with her "friends".

She was at the table with them making her own masterpiece like usual.

Well two nights later as I was up late 

stashing their mailboxes full for the next morning,

I decided to move my own mailbox down to the lower shelf

as to not distract her from her own excitement of receiving.

As I picked mine up the lid fell off

and carefully shoved inside

was the masterpiece she had made that night with the church girls.

I pulled it out

and stared at the little paper with 40 stickers on it.

Tears silently streamed down my face.

She's 4 yrs old.

She doesn't know how to write a letter.

She doesn't know how to buy treats from a store.

But she did what she capable of

to make sure my mailbox wasn't empty.

And she secretly slipped it in there so I too would have a surprise.

My heart was overflowing out of my chest.

Moments like this make it all worth it.