An epic Valentine’s Day (2025).
One year ago my client (a most inspiring woman) was settling into her newest iteration of life. At 98 she had just moved from her beloved condo in a community she loved, overlooking a pond she tended to for years. With declining eyesight and pressing safety concerns, the tough decision was made and with love and support she relocated to a nearby assisted living facility. This transition was hard. Getting into the groove of new schedules and forming new friendships was challenging. We continued our visits several times a week, researching all her curiosities, talking about nature and life, politics and people.
Winter can be confining in Maine when you are in your 90’s, with the snow, the ice, and the cold. To add some excitement and fun we got some valentines, the type you get in boxes to pass out in a classroom. They were all signed with her name and apartment number. We had fun sneaking them on or under the doors of all of her neighbors. This project brought some exercise, engagement, and fun! Her neighbors were all so thrilled to get valentines, she even had one visit her room to thank her (they are still friends).
Valentine’s Day 2025 has been anticipated since February 15 of 2024! At 99 years old, this had to be a great one and she was in the drivers seat the whole way. Not only were her neighbors to be included, but the entire staff, she didn’t want to leave a single person out of the fun.
1 month ahead of time we collected 115+ note cards and envelopes.
3 weeks out, using *foam Valentine’s stickers, together we decorated each envelope.
2 weeks out, I wrote Happy Valentine’s Day in each card and she **stamped her name inside each card.
1 week to go, we packaged each card with a few candies into adorable Valentine’s Day bags.
Day before, tested the bags to make sure they fit just right on door knobs. And tested some leftover candies… just to make sure they were delicious (and they were)!
Valentine’s Day, we started our day early so we had lots of time to sneak up and down the halls and leave a little bit of love on every door!
At nearly 100, Valentine’s Day 2026 feels like a long wait so Project Earth Day 2025 is in it’s conceptual stage!
Each step of this undertaking was driven by my client’s passion, and each step adjusted for hands that don’t work as nimbly as they once did, and spread out over time so it was always fun and never too overwhelming.
*Foam stickers are a great crafting option when fine motor skills are a challenge. The foam can be manipulated and doesn’t fold up on itself.
**We used a set of letter stamps that could be snapped together in any configuration so she could stamp her ‘signature’, since writing has become a struggle.
