The Gift of Love

 There's a quote by David Viscott that says, "To love and be loved is to feel the sun on both sides." I love this quote! The sun gives us warmth and brightness when it shines outside. It's the same with love, today's gift of focus 💛. When we look at the definition of love, we see it's a deep affection and commitment to someone or something. Love involves showing care and respect and a willingness to support and nurture them. Love should be more than words. I know we are quick to say we love someone or something. The real question is do we really. I've learned over my life journey to use my words wisely and that my actions are seen and are loud. I have learned not to take "I love you" for granted. When I have conversations with my family and friends, many of us end our conversation with "I love you." You see, the gift of love is wonderful to give 😊. The words are good, but we also need to have actions. It's praying, showing up, calling or texting someone, being a listening ear, helping, or giving an actual gift from the heart that shows love. Notice I said from the heart. We have to make sure that we love sincerely and for the right reasons. We also shouldn't say we love people, but then we treat them wrong. That's not love. We have to make sure that our actions and words line up. Let's show love to others when we can and while we can. People around us need to know that someone genuinely cares for them and they are loved 💜. We have daily opportunities to show love to others as we never know when it will be our last opportunity. Not only should we give the gift of love to others, but we should also love ourselves. We should love ourselves daily. To start my mornings, I have been saying more positive affirmations about myself and remind myself to speak them throughout my day. We need to be kind to ourselves 😊. I am learning to rest myself when I need it. I am learning to be mindful of what I eat and getting my exercise in. Real talk: I fell off consistent exercise for almost 2 and 1/2 weeks in May. It was very sporadic and not consistent like I usually did. My body started telling on itself because my muscles started hurting me as I wasn't stretching/walking intentionally like I should have. I realized it was also stress. I had to ask God to forgive me because I knew I could have done better. I would be tired when I came home from work and got too comfortable. Therefore, I didn't get my walking exercise in. The minute I started getting my walking exercise back in, the muscle aches went away! I said, "Thank you God for wisdom and the ability to exercise and move about." When I walk, it improves my mood and my body just feels good 💛. When we take care of our physical bodies, we are showing it love. We need to love all of ourselves. We need to do what's best for us- that's all part of loving. Loving ourselves also means not letting anyone or anything disturb our peace. If it's not adding to our peace, it's a no. If it causes unnecessary stress, then it needs to go. I know the world emphasizes love a lot more during the Christmas holidays and in Christmas songs, but love is a gift that can be received and given all year long. When we love, let's have the right motives and right attitudes. So, I love the LOVE signs and get a picture of them every chance I get. The last one I saw was in March. They remind me of the importance of love! I want to leave you with this Bible verse from I Corinthians 13:13- "Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love- but the greatest of these is love." Remember the warmth and brightness that love gives. Remember that love shows we care. Know that God loves you always and wants you to love him. So, remember to love every chance you get. Love and blessings to all 😊!!