February 14th is Valentine’s Day,
When we celebrate love for each other.
The annual day we go out of our way
For sweetheart, best friend, and mother.

We seek to show through bright cadeaux,
And greetings full of flair,
How much we love our buddies and beaux,
And hope they also care.

With syrupy note and frilly gift,
We boldly state our case:
Our hearts ever gain a joyful lift
From each dear one’s presence and face.

Gift shops bedecked in rainbows of hue,
Heart-shaped boxes in reds ‘n pinks,
Gold and silver trinkets beaucoup;
The Love Bug’s unleashed methinks!

Cards embossed and doily-designed;
Some trimmed in ribbons and lace.
Foils and glitter that sparkle and shine;
Candy hearts are everyplace!

Whimsical drawings with comic verse,
Sweet notes with tender phrase,
Tablets for writing of ardent love
And friendships worthy of praise.

Assorted boxes of cards for kids,
Scented candles and Snoopy the dog,
Turtledoves and winged cupids –
The awesome sight leaves me agog.

Bakery shelves groan with sprinkle-topped cakes,
Frosted cookies and cream puffs galore.
Hand-dipped chocolates mouth water makes.
Éclairs, rich fudge, and s’more.

Pride of the flower shop? Long stem roses,
Spring tulips and lilies so fair.
The jeweler’s gems in displays he discloses,
All for our affection to share.

An unlimited array of offerings to choose,
When sent from the heart, each sure ne’er to lose
In successfully posing that time-honored line,
Will you be my Valentine?

This is My commandment,
That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
~John 15:12

The power for good that comes from loving one another can be extraordinarily strong. The possibility of long-lasting positive impact from experiencing that love could be much greater than ever imagined.

Consider the following story, the facts of which I once heard related in a sermon by Dr. Robert H. Schuller.*

Back in the 1950s, graduate students at Johns Hopkins University tried to predict the future of a group of 200 boys growing up in a crime-ridden, inner-city neighborhood. Considering the disadvantaged youngsters’ dismal environment, the students forecast a bleak outcome for the boys, estimating that the majority of them would eventually be sent to prison.

A quarter of a century later, subsequent graduate students revisited the study. They were able to trace 180 of the original 200 boys, now grown men. The graduate students were astonished to learn that only six of them had ever been incarcerated.

In seeking to ascertain how such an amazing result could have come about, the students asked each man to name the greatest influence of his life. Three-fourths of them singled out the same person, a teacher.

The graduate students ultimately located the teacher – an elderly lady, then living in a retirement community. They spoke to her of the surprising outcome of their study and asked if she had followed any special course of action in guiding her pupils.

A sweet smile and faraway look appeared on her face as the teacher replied, “No . . . no . . . I just loved those boys. I just loved them.”

*Let’s Build a New Tomorrow, Dr. Robert H. Schuller, 1980.

Dear Readers,

There are some people in this world who never seem to grow old, no matter how old they grow to be. Case in point: my friend Mary Jane.

Recently, I hosted a luncheon, and Mary Jane was one of the attendees.

Mary Jane is 95 years young, and I mean young. She lives in a retirement center now and no longer drives. Another friend, Betty, who also came to the luncheon, brought Mary Jane with her.

As has always been her way, Mary Jane arrived impeccably dressed and brimming with good cheer. She still walks with a spring in her step and without assistance. With her sparkling eyes, beautiful smile, and ready laughter, she hasn’t changed a bit.

For many years, while living in her own home, Mary Jane had the habit of taking a morning constitutional through her neighborhood. She still follows that daily routine, now traversing the sidewalk that runs the periphery of her retirement facility. She loves to hear the birds singing as she makes her way along the path and whistles back to them — mimicking their individual tweets and chirps. She is hoping to learn to identify each type of bird by its song.

Mary Jane shared some fascinating stories of her life — both current and from long ago. She earned a degree in economics from the University of Iowa. One day, in an English class, she and fellow students had an exciting visitor — the famous poet Robert Frost, who recited some of his poems.

Lately, Mary Jane herself has been writing poetry and sharing her works with fellow poet residents in her retirement community. One of her recent poems recalled happy days spent with her husband, sailing on a lake in northern Michigan. Her current poem-in-progress is a tribute to the giant rose mallow hibiscus flowers (“dinner-plate hibiscus”), which thrive each year on the grounds of the retirement facility. Mary Jane said she is hoping to complete this poem just as soon as she finds a word that rhymes with “hibiscus!”

Mary Jane is a breath of fresh air. She inspired us all with her contagious optimism and joie de vivre.

My “Quotation of the Day,” received this morning, seems especially appropriate.

“None are so old as those who have outlived their enthusiasm.” Henry David Thoreau

As the years go by, may we all remain as young and enthusiastic as my ageless friend Mary Jane.