What is Love?

 

I know sometimes we use the word Love over and over in various ways that minimizes the meaning of the word. We say things like: I love that sunset; I love spaghetti; I love a good night’s sleep; I love that TV show. Love seems to be applied discriminately, and because of that, we lessen the impact and beauty of the word.

Browsing Facebook yesterday, I came across a beautiful post from Lisa Resnick titled, What Is Love? She or someone added a couple of comments after some responses- they are not mine, but I, too, believe them!

What Is Love? Lisa Resnick

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4- to 8-year-olds, ‘What does love mean?’ The answers they got were broader, deeper, and more profound than anyone could have ever imagined! 

“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore ... So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis, too. That’s love.” Rebecca - age 8 

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.” Billy - age 4 

“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.” Karl - age 5

“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.” Chrissy - age 6 

“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.” Terri - age 4 

“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.” Danny - age 8 

“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and just listen.” Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

“If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.” Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka’s on this planet)

“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day.” Noelle - age 7 

“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends, even after they know each other so well.” Tommy - age 6

“During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.” Cindy - age 8

“My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.” Clare - age 6

“Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.” Elaine - age 5

“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.” Chris - age 7 

“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.” Mary Ann - age 4 

“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.” Lauren - age 4 

“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.” (what an image!) Karen - age 7 

“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think it’s gross...” Mark - age 6 

“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.” Jessica - age 8 

And the final one:

The winner was a four-year-old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, “Nothing, I just helped him cry.” 

The innocence of kids astounds me with its simplicity and beauty. How can you not read any of these and smile? 

My hope is for each of us to remember the word love shouldn’t be just an over used habit, but a word that is applied often and in various meaningful ways- far beyond TV shows and spaghetti. And I hope there is someone in our life that is willing to sit with us and help us cry should we ever need it. Something to think about … 

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference! 

To My Readers:

If you like what you’re reading and find a benefit from it, you can check out my other posts on my Website at https://www.jrlewisauthor.com under the Inspirational Blog tab. You can find all nine books, their descriptions, and links for purchase at the same site. I can also be found on TikTok by searching for @josephlewis5566 and on Tribal by searching for @jrauthor85 and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557592103627 and on Substack at https://tinyurl.com/2m5ckdvh

Last, my book, Blaze In, Blaze Out, is FREE for a limited time on BookFunnel. Yes, FREE!

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https://books.bookfunnel.com/aprilthrillerreads/vlr454vqtl 

“Blaze In, Blaze Out is an over-the-top thriller. Lewis jumps you seamlessly between timelines of one exhilarating roller-coaster ride to the next.” -Authors Reading 

“Blaze in, Blaze out with its engaging plot and deep themes is a riveting novel and fast read that will keep readers in suspense and hooked till the last page.” -Literary Titan

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