How Do You Show the Love?
Greetings All!!
The weather here in Utah has been B E A U T I F U L!! Today (Saturday) it was supposed to hit
61! As of this writing it is 56, we may
just make it!! I know not everyone is in
good weather, but remember Spring is coming.
Maybe putting some fresh flowers around the house or other signs of
Spring will be a reminder and help you to remember it is coming! I can see the
signs of Spring outside my door as I see the snow disappear and birds
fluttering around, and I was able to get out in the fresh air every day. I love to get out and just think and
ponder. While out last week It got me to
thinking about Valentine's Day/Week and I wondered "How Do You Show Your
Love."
I saw one gentleman who posted pictures of their Valentine's
Day dinner and I saw others who posted heart shape pancakes, their children's
Valentine Day Boxes from school, etc.
Many friends posted flowers from their spouses or boyfriends. Flowers are an interesting thing for
Valentine's Day. I think I have gotten
"a flower" on Valentine's Day once.
Part of the perils of not having that special someone in your life. I read an article this week about a man who
bought three bouquets of flowers.
Someone observing watched him pick out the flowers and decided he must
be a player. How dare he on Valentine's
Day get flowers for all three of his girlfriends!! She decided it was her place to call the man
out. After humiliating him in public he
politely told her, one was for his mother.
Since his Dad had died, he got his Mother flowers on Valentine's Day
because his Dad always did. One was for
his wife, because his Dad taught him about showing extra love on Valentine's
Day with flowers. The third was for his
daughter, because I want her to know and be reminded of how she should be
treated by a man. The woman walked away
speechless. I hope so!!! Whether the story was true or not it teaches
us a great lesson. All three of these
ladies received flowers for a different reason.
This week I watched my friend and her family anxiously
awaiting the arrival of their son/brother home from a two year church mission
to Japan. He was to be in on Valentine's
Day. The table had been set, house
decorated, plans met for the airport reunion.
I got a text on Thursday his flight had been cancelled. Friday morning I had another text that he
would be in on Sunday afternoon. When I
asked my friend how she was doing she said she was fine, but I knew she was
disappointed. But I also know because of
her faith and wisdom she could get past the disappointment and look to the new
date. I had some boxes of Conversation
Hearts I had picked up at the store and wanted to give to someone. But who?
She was the first person I thought of.
She has done alot for me in the past year but I wanted her to know in a
small way that she was loved. So I took
her a box of Conversation Hearts for Valentine's Day. I know it will not even be on the same page
as her son coming home or the love her family gave her, but I hope she knows my
love for her.
I took another box of Conversation Hearts to a friend who
pumps my gas for me every week. When I
went to get gas on Wednesday she was not at work. I learned she was with her son as he was
having tests done on his heart. When I
talked to her she told me of the tears all day because she loved her son so
much. There is only so much you can do
for a person and they must do the rest.
But she was there to offer her support and love. She couldn't take the tests for him or make
the pain go away but she could be there with her love. The next day I went to see her and she was
still out. Her esophagus had collapsed. When the doctors when to stretch it back it
tore. It was not one of her better
weeks. She often tells me of the stress
she has with her kids because she loves them so much. That was evident this week.
The third person was someone who was going to pick up a
software program for me at Office Max. While her and her husband were away out
of the country, they had a flood in their home.
Two of their kids who live nearby found the flood and by the time they
had returned home already had the insurance people called, contractors
etc. As we were talking a neighbor girl
out walking stopped and talked to us. I
learned they were struggling with diapers and formula for their newborn baby. I
thought of all that my friend did for me and wished I could do more for people. Then I remembered l still had several gift
cards from the holidays. I reached in
and handed her a gift card to give to the young couple. Afterwards I thought why did I do that? I don't even know them? I realized my heart
really was softening and I really did have a love for people I did not even
know.
Even though it made me happy to remember my friends, I
started to focus on myself. I knew I
would not get any flowers or candy or signs of I love you. It made me doubt if people did love me or if
they just tolerated me. I thought
"Laura how selfish of you! You know
people love you and care about you."
Yes I do, sometimes I think it is the physical aspect of it all I
miss. Just then I got a text message that said, "Hope you have a
Happy Valentine's Day!" I sat there
for a moment and the tears began to come.
Just when I needed that physical aspect of Valentine's Day, I got via a
text message. I thanked my friend and
told him some days I wonder about the whole love thing. He texted back, "We are all loved by the
same God." That is true. And it is unconditional.
I once had a co-worker who was talking about his troubled
life and marriage. I asked him if they told one another they loved each
other. His response was, "Oh we
don't need to, we know we do." We
all have different ways of showing our love.
When I walk out to my driveway after a snow storm and see it has been
shoveled, it shows love to me. When I
get help with my groceries and getting them into my car, it shows love to
me. When I get an anonymous card in the
mail telling me they love me, it shows love to me. On more than one occasion I have gotten a
text message telling me someone was thinking about me and loved me, just when I
really needed it.
I hope we all have those small ways we can show others how
much we care and love them. Even those
that are around us who seem strong, or have a perfect life, or can get through
anything, they still need to know you are rooting them on. It saddens me when I hear people say, "I
don't need to show my love on one day, I show it all year long." I understand what they are saying but at the
same time, I think it is sad. It doesn't
mean it has to be expensive dinner and flowers, but by simply dong even a small
thing you let everyone know you have a special someone on Valentine's Day. That special someone may be a spouse, or
family member or even a friend, but you let them know they are special.
I had a friend years ago and her husband would pack her lunch
every day. They were newly married. He was in school and she worked full time to
support them. Her first day back at work
from their honeymoon, she dug into her lunch and pulled out a piece of paper
and got a big smile on her face. The
next day it was all the same. Every day
he packed her lunch, he put in a love note.
When I want to show my love towards others it is usually with
something small and the current holiday treats that are out at the time. So I am curious, what do you do for your
family or friends to show them you love them?
Any unique ideas or traditions you do?
Remember just as important as it is for us to receive those messages of
love it is the same for others...and maybe it has to start with us!!
Have a great week everyone!!! Here is a thought for you to
help you through the week, Spring is only 31 days away!!!
Hugs Laura
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