On November 16, 1959, “The Sound of Music,” the timeless Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, began a three-and-a-half year run on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Several weeks before the show’s opening, Oscar Hammerstein was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Prior to being admitted for surgery, the famed lyricist stopped at the theatre to convey encouragement and inspiration to his leading lady. He passed a piece of paper to the young actress playing Maria von Trapp.
As Mary Martin opened the folded note, she read, “A bell is not a bell till you ring it. A song is not a song till you sing it. Love in your heart isn’t put there to stay. Love isn’t love till you give it away.”
The sentiment of that note moved Mary Martin so much that she stitched the rhyming words in needlepoint on a pillow. Keeping the pillow in her dressing room, Martin glanced at the words before going on stage. Although Hammerstein would die less than a year after being diagnosed, the simple definition of love that he had scrawled on a piece of paper would impact Mary Martin for the rest of her life.
There is power in a handwritten note even if you don’t have the wordsmithing genius of Oscar Hammerstein. And Valentine’s Day provides us with an opportunity to “give love away” in a written sentiment.
This holiday of hearts, flowers and candy also utilizes greeting cards. And while the professional poets who write sentiments for Hallmark, Ambassador and Dayspring are talented, what we write in the space between their generic poem and our signature is read by the recipient with much interest.
Of course we buy and sign valentines for our spouses. But who’s to say we shouldn’t include those with whom we work, special friends and neighbors and extended family members? If the idea is to express love and admiration to people deserving of the same, why limit it to just one person? Remember in elementary school how we would send valentines to each member of the class (and the teacher)?
Perhaps it helps to remember that the original valentines were not romantic cards. They were notes of friendship delivered to a Christian saint who was imprisoned by an unjust dictator. They were notes of encouragement and hope, but expressions of love nonetheless.
As you can tell by my last name, I’m Greek. In the language of my forbearers, there were at least four words for love. Agape. Eros. Storge and Phileo. And rightly so. There are many kinds of love we feel for the people who define our sphere of influence. Those we love like friends (phileo). Those we love romantically (eros). Those we love with selfless compassion (agape). And no matter the kind of love we feel, it needs to be gotten out of the heart and onto paper.
While $3 greeting cards are nice, they aren’t necessary. You can make your own. Use a photograph you’ve taken and glue it onto a blank piece of cardstock. Sketch a scene. Use watercolors to create your own still-life. Write an original poem. Or if you aren’t confident in your creative abilities, why not write a Valentine’s letter?
In a culture that has become dominated by terse e-mails and even shorter text messages, the art of written expression is on the verge of disappearing. But this week provides us all with a chance to pass along an envelope or a folded piece of paper that can truly inspire another. Communicating love for another is acting like our Creator.
