Hershey Kiss

It’s February and of course that means that everywhere we go there

are reminders of Valentine’s day. It’s nice that we focus on telling

people how much we love them on this day, but how wonderful it

might be if we told people we love them in some special way, every

day. How wonderful and healing it might be if we told ourselves, in

some special way, that we love and appreciate ourselves EVERY day!

I’m going to use the Hershey’s Kiss as an image for this month’s blog.

Now if Chocolate is a forbidden substance for you, leave the word

chocolate out and substitute Recovery’s Kiss or any other kind of Kiss

that makes sense to you.

The original Hershey’s Bar was introduced in 1900 by Milton Hershey.

He had worked on his formula for years, trying to make a product that

people could afford and carry around easily. Before that, chocolate was

something that only the rich could afford. He made the first chocolate

kiss in 1907, so people could enjoy small pieces of wrapped chocolate

that could go in a bag or pocket.

When Hershey made his Kiss, it had nothing to do with Valentines day,

the word kiss was used back then to describe any small, soft textured

piece of candy.

What small soft textured things do you do each day that kiss your

world with loving kindness?

During World War 2, Hershey made a high energy, heat resistant bar

just for the soldiers, to give them strength and remind them of the

sweetness of life. Sometimes we too need something that is higher

energy and stress resistant to carry us through difficult times.

Do you have special things for difficult times? These might be a

person, a prayer, a place, a practice. Do you keep them on hand, close

by ready to use?

Milton Hershey had started his candy making career in 1876 in

Pennsylvania. Despite years of hard work, his businesses failed. Still

loving the idea of chocolate, he worked for years experimenting with

milk, sugar and cocoa formulas and finally in 1900 he sold his caramel

company and gave all his energy to the Hershey Chocolate Company.

24 years of work to make his dream come true!

Do you have a dream? Have you stopped working on it because it

seemed impossible or because you failed once or twice?

Hershey did not take his success lightly. Remembering his own hard

work in the candy making business, he wanted to make working

meaningful for his employees. He built a community where his workers

could live, a school for children and eventually transferred the bulk of

his wealth to a trust for the Hershey school.

We might not have a considerable fortune like Hershey did, but each of

us is wealthy in our own unique way. We might have a wealth of

knowledge, or talent, or compassion. We might have a wealth of

recovery life experience, or inventive ideas. We might have a wealth of

family, or supportive friends.

Whatever your wealth is, what are you doing with it?

The Hershey kiss, the sweetness in a small foil wrapped chocolate, has

transformed from the silver foil to a foil representing every holiday of

the year, and using different flavors in the chocolate. It is a symbol of

emotional and physical connection, sharing, celebration, healing, love.

It is like a hug, a small, moment of joy any day of the year.

When was the last time you gave someone a hug?

When was the last time someone hugged you?

Do you see the opportunities for hugs and kisses only on holidays?

When you hold a Hershey’s kiss in your hand, to get to the sweetness of

the chocolate, you have to first peel away the wrapper. Now the foil

wrapper is important in protecting the chocolate from all sorts of

elements. Sort of like our relationships! Some people have been so

hurt that they wrap themselves in layers of all kinds of behaviors. Or

maybe you are the person wrapping yourself in protective layers.

Could the chocolate kiss be a reminder to peel away the layers to get

to the core of who you are?

Could it be a reminder to be patient with others as they peel away the

protections they have surrounded themselves with?

Did you know the small piece of paper at the top of the kiss is there to

help you unwrap it easily? Did you ever unwrap the kiss from the

bottom or side and get chocolate under your fingernails? The

chocolate kiss reminds me to use the tools I have been given, slowly

and carefully, as I unwrap myself or help others unwrap themselves.

For me, the small piece of paper is Gods unconditional loving grace, and

when I connect with that first, my efforts are less likely to be messy.

What is the first thing you turn to when trying to unwrap the outside

of life?

What if we use the Hershey’s kiss as a reminder of the goodness

within each of us despite the condition of the wrapper?

What if we use the hype of Valentine’s day this year, and focus on

people in the rooms, in our families, in our communities, telling them

how we love and appreciate them?

What if we use the hype of Valentine’s day this year to focus on ways

of showing ourselves self love and appreciation?

Finally, the Hersheys kiss reminds me to savor the moment. Chewing

and gulping down a chocolate kiss does not give you the full experience

of the sweetness, the warmth, the joy of the candy.

Are you rushing through experiences without really savoring, tasting

and appreciating them?

May this month give you many opportunities to find love, to share love,

to be love!coming February