The “Statistic Brain Research Institute” of 2016 estimated the average annual dollars spent on Valentine’s Day last year was $13,290,000,000.
The website also documents that 180 million Valentine’s Day cards were also exchanged in 2016, noting as well that candy, cards, dining out, and flowers were the favored ways to express that celebratory love to someone special. Another website, fundivo.com, quoting the National Retail Federation, adds that Valentine’s Day spending in 2016 totaled $19.7 billion, an increase from $18.9 billion in 2015. That same website also shared that $4.5 billion was spent on jewelry with another $4.4 billion invested in dining out.
Considering these mind-boggling stats revealing the immensity of the money spent on Valentine’s Day, anyone can easily conclude that Valentine’s Day is indeed a day that can be labeled very costly. Obviously, many folks consider the day ‘just another day.’ However, most individuals will smile as they recall some very special gift that arrived via a spouse, an acquaintance, or a loved one. The beloved Mother Teresa, known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta and devoting most of her life to assisting the impoverished of India, provided this nugget of wisdom – “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”
I recall seeing a Facebook post recently that beautifully exemplified the message of Mother Teresa. The Facebook author noted that she had witnessed an elderly man searching for his car in a parking lot in Hopkinsville. In the post she made, she added that she and the elderly gentleman eventually found his car in a different parking lot from where he had been frantically hunting. Her note also added the statement that she is indeed very hopeful that in future years someone will be there to assist her in her time of need. Obviously, that act of kindness and love shown to someone cost nothing for the young lady who provided the ‘helping hand.’ What that act did reveal, however, is compassion for another human that exemplifies the essence of Mother Teresa’s quote.
Another website provided this added incentive for all of us – “Whether you call it random acts of kindness, paying it forward, or good deeds, they are very powerful. That is why almost every religion and culture values and rewards the performance of good deeds.” Those good deeds obviously run the spectrum from simple gestures of extending a helping hand to those kindnesses entailing the exertion of much effort in our attempts to lighten the load for someone else. We can all recall instances when helpful neighbors have shoveled snow, picked up yard debris, assisted with simple repair projects, carried off trash, offered solutions to problems, and extended that extra effort or listening ear enabling all of us to have fewer burdens in our lives.
I can recall as a teacher being extremely stressed and frazzled the year Mom died, and I can also recall the many kindnesses shown to me not only by co-workers but also by students in my classes. As I was searching frantically for a daytime caregiver, one co-worker provided the name of a lady who eventually became one of Mom’s care providers during not only the day but also at night during the last few months of Mom’s life. Several students provided their own kindnesses and assisted with the chores of the classroom, decorating bulletin boards, cleaning desks, and assisting with the endless number of papers to be returned to students. Yes, those acts of kindness were not costly ones; however, they were acts of compassion that ‘lightened the load’ on someone caring for an elderly parent.
Yes, Mother Teresa understood well that our giving to others does not necessitate the unbelievable expenditures of hundreds of dollars to bring a smile to others. That giving can simply be deeds done that entail the ‘giving of ourselves,’ our time, our talents, and our resources much more frequently than the ‘giving of our finances.’ I feel rather confident that those costless acts of assisting those who are a part of our lives also bring with them the added bonus of making us much more aware of the world we are a part of and the impact our lives and our attitudes have on those around us. That realization, one we can all benefit from, is one that is not limited to just one special day celebrated in mid-February.
~Article by Carolyn L. Wells
March 17, 2024
