I Love you!… by JoAnn

How often do you hear the words “I love you”?  

If you are in a romantic relationship, you probably hear those words daily.  Young love, or what feels like young love, seems to bring out, “I love you†with ease.  It’s when we are most expressive. It’s timely and fitting for the romance at the moment.   

If you have been married for many years, you may rarely hear I love you.  Lol, the well-known “honeymoon stage” has long since passed and has been filled with kids, bills, and a lot of hard work.  It’s not that the love is gone, there just doesn’t seem to be a reason to speak it verbally anymore.  After all, you made a lifelong commitment to your spouse, and you are still there. So, you love them. Why say it?  Naturally, I am making light of a quandary many couples fall into.    

If you are a single parent, hearing “I love you†from a significant other may be just a memory.  You may however draw energy from those three brief words each time they cross your child’s lips.  A child can quickly soften the stress from a long, hard day by saying I love you at bedtime.

But what if you live alone and there’s no one to utter those precious words?  I have lived alone for many years and my children are grown with families of their own.  There is no “significant other†in my life, so I have gotten used to going days, or even weeks, without hearing someone’s voice say, ever so sweetly, “I love youâ€.  When I hear those words, they mean a lot more to me now and I no longer take them for granted.  

I know the importance of saying those words better now.  When I tell one of my grandchildren, “I love youâ€, I want those words to stay in their hearts forever.  I know they will need to hold on to that love in tough times.  I want them to always know that love is there for them, no matter what.  Just as I did with my children.

Yes, there are many ways to show love and they are just as important as saying it.  But this missive is about verbalizing the actual words.  There is something to be said for someone opening up their heart, letting go of their inhibitions, and speaking words of affirmation.  To hear the words out loud has a healing affect, whether it be on a child, a friend, a parent, a spouse, or a partner.  Hearing “I love†you can open a door to forgiveness, feelings of self-worth, and relieve many anxieties in life.  

So, how long has it been since you told someone you love them?  Never underestimate the power of saying it and never miss an opportunity to do so. I believe this quote expresses it perfectly: “Time is like a river.  You cannot touch the same water twice, because the flow that has passed will never pass again.â€