In February 2020, my 12-year-old neighbor, Paulina, and I sat at my kitchen table, writing encouraging messages on colorful note cards. We wrote things like “You are loved! Happy Valentine’s Day!” and “Find some joy today!” We slid the note cards—along with a few dollars—into envelopes and sealed them. On the envelopes, we wrote, “If you found this, it’s meant for you!”
Paulina hid some of the envelopes in random places at her school, and I did the same around town. I left them on grocery store shelves, in public restrooms, at my church, even secretly in a friend’s home. I happened to be around as someone found one of the envelopes. Clearly delighted, the woman told her friend that she would use the money to buy a stranger’s coffee the next morning.
I recently moved from New Jersey to Georgia, so Paulina and I are no longer neighbors. We both plan to continue our Pass the Love Project with a new partner this Valentine’s Day. Want to join us?
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