I am of the opinion that every close friend or family needs a cheery mylar balloon if he or she is in the hospital.  Flowers are great, but people can be sensitive to certain types.  Flowers can also get expensive if you do this often.  So, my pick for a hospital room is always a single mylar balloon with an encouraging note attached.  I keep the note short and sweet because if I’m not delivering the balloon myself, I’m having to dictate the message to the employee by phone.  It usually goes something like, “Happy Baby Days! or Get Well!   Love, hugs, and prayers!  The Durbins”  Most hospital flower shops will stock mylar balloons and deliver them to the rooms, same day for free.   Balloons are a fun way to let people know you care and inexpensive way to brighten up an impersonal hospital room.

To extend this idea and help your family remember to pray for the recipient of the hospital balloon, blow up a latex balloon (keep a stash for this purpose), write the person’s name on it, and keep it somewhere where in the house where it will be seen frequently.  Encourage your family members to lift up a prayer for the hospital friend every time they catch sight of the balloon.  Though this balloon is not helium, it can be symbolic of lifting up someone in prayer.
Tip – Use a dry erase marker to write on the balloon instead of a permanent marker.  Believe it or not, it will be less likely to smudge off when the balloon starts shrinking!  We learned this fun fact from a balloon artist.

“Pray continually.”   1 Thessalonians 5:17