Get ready to feel mushy, because on a recent episode of Jo Whiley and Zo Ball’s Dig It podcast, Jo shared the oh-so sweet gift her son once gave her, and it might be one of the sweetest things ever.
We’re used to having Jo and Zoe sharing a laugh - bonding over a love of cancelled plans or Zoe’s divisive opinions on what’s sexy in a partner - and relating to some of the harder aspects of life, like grief or facing an empty nest. And now Jo is making viewers “teary” after revealing her son’s heartfelt and thoughtful gesture.
Jo shared that her son, Jude, once filled a sweet jar with handwritten notes detailing everything he loved about her, and it’s such a creative, inspired way of showing someone in your life how much you care about them.
Sharing the story, Jo said, "When he was really young, he got like a sweet jar and he just filled it with lots of bits of paper and he'd written things about me that he loved.
"It's still upstairs in my bedroom and I sometimes go into it when I'm feeling a bit miserable. I get the notes out and I read them and it's just like, 'You've got a great smile' or things like that.
"Oh my God, it cheers me up. I will keep that until the day I die."
She added, "It’s the nicest thing to do for anybody. Honestly, just tell them why you love them, things you like about them.
"It just boosts their confidence and makes them feel loved."
Zoe, quite rightly, added, "I think there's going to be loads of people stealing that idea now."
Jo and her husband of 35 years, Steve Morton, share four children together, India, Jude (of the wonderful sweet jar fame, and perhaps envy of his siblings now), Cassius and Coco Lux.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this adorable gesture went down a treat with fans of the podcast.
Amidst a sea of heart emojis in the comments, fans wrote, "That has brought happy tears to my eyes" and "That’s made me really teary - so lovely".
"A jar of homemade love notes is forever", another fan wrote.
And it’s so true. While Jo got hers from her son, it’s easy to imagine doing this for a partner, a best friend or just someone in your life who might need it.
