I love the winter season for lots of reasons: it’s time for the year’s best holidays, visits with extended family, parties galore, snow (if you’re lucky) and plenty of triggers that remind us to be grateful for our blessings, especially our family and friends.

Valentine’s Day sends us running here and there to lavish our love and attention on a few special people for the duration of just one day. One short day. Imagine how we might brighten lives, change the course of entire days, by sprinkling love more often, in little, yet far-reaching ways:

• A note of encouragement
• Yummy candy or treat tucked in a lunch bag or coat pocket
• Spontaneous trip to the park or ice cream parlor
• Make your child’s favorite cookies “just because”
• Compliment someone in the midst of a beleaguered day
• 5-minute back-scratch for kids or your guy
• Surprise notes tucked out of sight in your kids’ closet or drawers
• Messages scrawled on their bathroom mirror
• Phone call to a distant relative or friend
• Deliver hand-picked flowers to an elderly neighbor or even pick a single aromatic flower for someone to breathe in and enjoy.

So many ideas, so many, many opportunities. Take a minute to think of unique ways to bless your family and friends and in turn you’ll discover abundant blessings for you.