Every time Valentine's Day comes around, I like to bask in the happy childhood memories: white paper bags decorated with red construction paper hearts and taped to the sides of our desks; candies and cheesy puns attached with tape; red fizzy punch at the school Valentine party.
Many of our residents have fond memories of school Valentine parties--enough so that we've had a few activities to "step back in time" and remember those days.
Even more residents like to recall their first valentine with their sweetheart--those heart-throbbing days when he pulled up in his parents' car and brought her a bouquet of flowers he'd scrimped for weeks to buy.
I love that we have a day to celebrate these memories. And I love that our residents--who may forget many other things--never forget what it's like to be loved. The Bible says that "love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away" (I Corinthians 13:8, ESV).
This is true for our residents. When other memories fail, when they forget basic words, or even the complete power of speech, they never forget love. This is why it is so important that our caregivers are kind, gentle, and loving in every action with our residents. We love our residents and we work hard to communicate that to them.