Love Is What You Say

I was just reading something today that stated that love is what you say, not what you do. I had a thought, on top of not believing that phrase at all. People say, “I love you” like it’s a chore. A ring or a last name is the only reason you say it. But what do you DO to show it? Some people have a hard time figuring out how to show it. But it’s not complicated at all.

You show love by listening, by being there when no one else is, by holding the one you love while they cry, by sitting with them all night because they don’t feel safe. There are a million reasons how you can show someone you love them. And you don’t even need to by anything! Just make time!

Sometimes we push people away because we are afraid or we feel we can’t be loved. Another way to show someone you love them through an action, is by letting them in and by letting them love you. Being someone who struggles with depression, I push away the ones that love me most, because I don’t feel worthy. So some days, it is hard. But I remind myself at they end of the day, that I way I can show love, is just by being willing to be loved.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, you are probably thinking, “What should I get the one(s) I love?” Sit with them. Turn your phone off and listen to them without any distractions! It seems that whenever people aren’t texting or Facebooking, they don’t know what to do with themselves and they are always checking their phone. Shut it off! Last two dates I have gone on with my husband, I have left my phone in the car. I am self-employed, so my phone is always going off. But for the weekend, I’m off the clock and I am with my family. It is simple things like that that show us love.

Don’t say I love you and not be willing to make sacrifices. Love is a never-ending sacrifice! We sacrifice our time, our life, our hearts, and our soul when we say, “I love you.” And the people who don’t think so, aren’t really feelin' the love.

When my husband is gone for work and he knows I’ve had a horrible couple days, he sends me flowers while he is on the road and sends cute cards with them. It’s not a text or a Facebook message, but part of my feels it’s more real. Pen and paper. Putting your heart out there. Yes, you could get hurt, but love also sacrifices that.

I’ve gone through a social media cleanse, and I believe it is the best thing I have ever done for myself. Disconnect yourself from the world and take action in the world. I told my husband that if he wants to tell me he loves me on my wall, there is paint downstairs. The other thing is that Facebook and all other social media has been used to shame people, spread hatred, and it is a social media platform, but people use it too well to get attention. I’m not saying all do, but I see too much of it. I felt more human without Facebook. We even have a dry erase board that we put on our fridge, and we leave notes there for each other. If you open your heart and love by what you say AND what you do, you could change your whole relationship and you could change your life! Make this Valentine’s Day different.

Open up your heart and don’t just say, do.