Indeed you are loved

When strangers care
London, ON
August 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram

There's a valley that winds its way through our neighborhood, kind of like a natural spine that turns city into country for anyone looking to unplug for a little while.

At the bottom of one of the stairways that connects this magical, quiet gift to the real, noisy world, someone decided to leave a little message in the shadowy concrete that's usually covered by random fallen leaves.

It's a simple message, really: "You are loved." But on this day, it stopped me in my tracks.

I'll never know who decided to leave this behind, but whoever they are, I hope they know their random act of publicly messaged kindness wasn't in vain.

It rippled out to me, and I'm certain to the countless other folks who pass by here on any given day. For I'm sure I'm not the only one who felt the weight of these words that are designed to heal.

We are indeed loved. It's up to us to believe in the power of that simple phrase, to allow it to drown out whatever other noise we may hear at the top of those literal or figurative steps. Back in the real world.

Small things. Significant impact.

Where else should we be looking for them? What other messages should we be leaving behind for strangers to randomly come across?

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