This is an epic love story
THE MOST COMPELLING CHAPTER OF MY STORY BEGAN WITH A LOVE NOTE, ONE SIMPLE, HANDWRITTEN GESTURE OF LOVE, HOPE, AND GRATITUDE. FOR THE BETTER PART OF MY LIFE, I DREAMED OF AND EVEN PRAYED FOR AN EPIC LOVE STORY, AND THIS IS A LOVE STORY ON SO MANY LEVELS. I JUST NEVER EXPECTED IT TO COME AT SUCH A GREAT TOLL, BUT THEN AGAIN, IF YOU LOOK BACK THROUGH THE COURSE OF HISTORY, THE GREATEST LOVE STORIES ALWAYS DO.
This is an epic love story
THE MOST COMPELLING CHAPTER OF MY STORY BEGAN WITH A LOVE NOTE, ONE SIMPLE, HANDWRITTEN GESTURE OF LOVE, HOPE, AND GRATITUDE. FOR THE BETTER PART OF MY LIFE, I DREAMED OF AND EVEN PRAYED FOR AN EPIC LOVE STORY, AND THIS IS A LOVE STORY ON SO MANY LEVELS. I JUST NEVER EXPECTED IT TO COME AT SUCH A GREAT TOLL, BUT THEN AGAIN, IF YOU LOOK BACK THROUGH THE COURSE OF HISTORY, THE GREATEST LOVE STORIES ALWAYS DO.
A Mother & Daughter on a Mission
Mom (Hope) and me.
It WAS ONLY MEANT TO SAVE US…
On Valentine’s Day 2016, a few months after Mom’s terminal-cancer diagnosis, she and I set out on a journey to write fifty Love Notes, predominantly for veterans. We wrote a small handful for first responders and everyday humans, as well. But the real push in that moment was for our nation’s military heroes. After two hours and as many homemade reuben sandwiches, I bundled Mom up and got her into my Jeep. Over the next three hours, we set out on a mission to find our heroes. We left notes on the windshields of their cars. We hand delivered a few to war veterans in the grocery store and to a police officer pumping gas. It opened up the door to conversation, inviting us in to these people’s stories. By the time we returned home, having delivered almost all fifty Love Notes, we were laughing so much that our smiles hurt. I’ll never forget Mom leaning over and saying, “I can’t remember why I was so worried.”
From that day forward, we got up every morning with a sense of purpose. We faithfully wrote handfuls of Love Notes at our local coffee shop. We carried those notes of gratitude in our purses, close to our hearts. We handed them out every chance we got. Some days we would get into the car and spend hours driving around looking for these heroes. What began as a means of self-preservation became so much more. It saved us both, improving the last two years of Mom’s life.
It has been seven years. With the help of our community, we have delivered over 35,000 Love Notes across the country. Mom made me promise I would keep spreading love … one Love Note at a time.