Letter
A dear friend sent me this letter and I wish to share it with you. I hope it
brightens your day. I know it did mine.
There are times when we are timid and shy about expressing the love we feel.
For fear of embarrassing the other person, or ourselves, we hesitate to say the
actual words "I love you."; so we try to communicate the idea in other words. We
say 'take care' or 'don't drive too fast' or 'be good.' But really, these are
just other ways of saying 'I love you,' 'you are important to me,' I care what
happens to you,' 'I don't want you to get hurt.' We are sometimes very strange
people. The only thing we want to say, and the one thing that we should say, is
the one thing we don't say. And yet, because the feeling is so real, and the
need to say it is so strong, we are driven to use other words and signs to say
what we really mean. And many times the meaning never gets communicated at all
and the other person is left feeling unloved and unwanted. Therefore, we have to
LISTEN FOR LOVE in the words that people are saying to us.
Sometimes the
explicit words are necessary, but more often, the manner of saying things is
even more important. A joyous insult carries more affection and love within the
sentiments, which are expressed insincerely. An impulsive hug says I LOVE YOU
even though the words might be saying very different. Any expression of a
person's concern for another says I love you. Sometimes the expression is
clumsy, sometimes even cruel. Sometimes we must look and listen very intently
for the love that contains. But it is often there, beneath the surface.
A mother
may nag her son constantly about his grades or cleaning his room. The son may
hear only the nagging, but if he listens carefully, he will hear the love
underneath the nagging. His mother wants him to do well, to be successful. Her
concern and love for her son unfortunately emerge in her nagging. But it is love
all the same. A daughter comes home late; way past her curfew, and her father
confronts her with angry words. The daughter may hear only the anger, but if she
listens carefully, she will hear the love under the anger. "I was worried about
you, " the father is saying. Because I care about you and I love you. You are
important to me'
We say I love you in many ways- with birthday gifts, and little
notes, with smiles and sometimes with tears. Sometimes we show our love by just
keeping quiet and not saying a word, at other times by speaking out, even
brusquely. We show our love sometimes by impulsiveness. Many times we have to
show our love by forgiving someone whom has not listened to the love we have
tried to express.
The problem is listening for love is that we don't always
understand the language of love, which the other person is using. A girl may use
tears or emotions to say what she wants to say, and her boyfriend may not
understand her because he expects her to be talking his language. Thus, we have
to force ourselves to really listen for love. The problem with our world is that
people rarely listen to each other. They hear the words, but they don't listen
to the actions that accompany the words or the expression on the face. Or people
listen only for rejection or misunderstanding. They do not see the love that is
there just beneath the surface, even if the words are angry. We have to listen
for love in those around us. If we listen intently we will discover that we are
a lot more loved than we realize.
Listen for Love and we will find that the
world is a very loving place, after all.
LOVE is a happy thing. It makes us
laugh. It makes us sing. It makes us sad It makes us cry. It makes us seek the
reason why. It makes us take. It makes us give. Above all else it makes us LIVE.
It is not the presence or absence of people that makes the difference because a
person need not be lonely even if he is alone. Sometimes it is good to be alone.
But that does not make us lonely. It is not a matter of being present WITH
someone. It is a matter of being present TO someone. So remember... if you love
someone, tell him or her. Remember always to say what you mean. Never be afraid
to express yourself. Take this opportunity to tell someone what he or she means
to you. Seize the day and have no regrets. Most importantly, stay close to your
friends and family, for they have helped make you the person that you are today
and are what it's all about anyway.
Dedication
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