We All Need a Blankie

I don’t remember a lot of things from my early childhood. But I do remember the delight of a nap with my satin comforter. Pale pink on one side, pale blue on the other, quilted, puffy. Aaahhh…pure comfort.

On a sweltering summer day in Annapolis, in our home with no air conditioning (can you spell HUMIDITY?), there was nothing like lying down with that cool comforter against my cheek. I felt like a princess against the beautiful fabric, and happily would settle in for a nap. I felt safe, secure, valued and special.

And now, decades later, I still have that comforter from childhood . Yes, it’s tattered. But I must confess, on especially hard days, I will still take a nap with the satin comforter!

Notes and cards from loved ones give me that same kind of feeling. Safe. Secure. Special.

The day my daughter left for college last fall, I found a sweet note from her affixed to the side of my bedside table. She had placed it there, knowing that would be the last thing I would see before turning off the light on that night when “new normal” had begun in my empty nest.

I taped a favorite picture of Anne next to that note, and have often paused to read her sweet note as I drift off to sleep. Yes, I miss her. But seeing her handwriting and reading her encouragement makes me smile…and feels like that soothing satin comforter pressed against my soul.

What about you? Is there someone who needs to find a note from you today? It doesn’t have to be long. Even a Post-it note to someone you love…expressing something about them that means so much to you, could be like a “blankie of comfort.”  Try it…you’ll never know the impact that a few words can make!