Patty Gopez
Imagine having a horrible day where it seems like the day just isn’t getting any better… and then you come across a note seemingly meant for you that says “You are loved.” Those three words – so simple to say, so simple a meaning – are bound to bring at least a slight smile to even the most downtrodden.
Karen Swartz Larsson can attest to this: last March, the 37-year-old teacher was standing in the bathroom at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, MD when an envelope marked with the words “For You” caught her eye. Karen had traveled all the way from Stockholm, Sweden (where she resides) to be by her sick mother’s side. At the moment she was too tired and distressed, but she couldn’t resist the intrigue of its contents and opened the envelope.
“I just want you to know that you are loved and that you are needed. Things might be difficult now, but hang in there. Signed, a friend,” the note said.
Astonished, she reread the note several times.
“They were the right words at the right time, and they went straight into my heart,” Karen has told The Huffington Post. “I put the card back in the envelope and left it for someone else to find.”
Back in Sweden and almost an entire year later, Karen recounted the story to a student named Ellen while waiting for the bus, The duo came up with a brilliant idea: What if they applied an exact replica for Valentine’s Day? And that’s exactly what they did!
During the past two weeks prior to this Valentine’s Day, Karen’s two classes at the school she teaches at, the Waldorf School, made valentine cards for perfect strangers. And on Friday, the kids – ranging from fourth to seventh graders – left their homemade cards in random public places all over Stockholm. These places included, but were not limited to, buses, subway trains, various stations, worship spaces, cafés and, of course, a hospital.
How would you react if you found a random letter of that nature?
Image via Thinkstock
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