| Words:
Just three little words, "I love you," yet how
much influence they have had! Some of us use them blithely
without much thought; others of us use them with deep
meaning. Most of the time their use falls between the
two extremes. Written and spoken words do much to express
love. Greeting card companies pay well for prose that
stirs hearts and bonds people closer together. Besides
written and spoken words, there are at least four other
ways of expressing affection.
Deeds:
When we remember birthdays and special occasions, we send
messages that we care. When we treat a person with kindness,
we show respect. When men open doors and seat their women
folks they demonstrate courtesy. When females bake special
goodies for their loved ones, they say, "I am thinking
of you." When they keep track of family affairs,
they bring order to their lives. Seeing mothers and fathers
taking their children to music lessons and ball games
makes us feel like all is well in the world.
Odors:
How can odors express love? Let me tell you how I did
it: When I was a full time homemaker, I welcomed loved
ones home with the aroma of sautéing onions and
baking bread sticks. It gave me joy to do so. I ground
grain and made 100% whole wheat bread regularly; it was
the main staple of our diet. Later, when I had to go back
to work, we still enjoyed homemade bread; I prepared the
dough before leaving in the morning and hurried home to
heat the oven and insert the bread sticks so there would
be tantalizing aromas greeting my returning loved ones.
To me, this was an act of love. But what other ways can
odors express love? Is there a sweeter scent than that
of a freshly bathed infant? And why would we wear perfume
and cologne except to be more appealing?
Body
Language: The most important body language is a pleasant
smile! Children and pets respond quickly when we show
them happy faces. Smile! Smile! Smile! Hugs, kisses and
affectionate touches also draw people closer. However,
it is important that physical affection be a private matter.
It seems irreverent to me to see family members scratching
and rubbing each other in public. Quiet sitting is the
body language of reverence. Looking people directly in
their eyes is the body language of attentiveness.
Sounds:
If we can identify the love theme of a movie, we can know
when romance is about to take place. Why can't we have
appropriate background music in our homes? Listen how
professionals use a variety of tones to give the same
word different meanings. How softly they "coo"
when expressing love! Can we imitate them and speak more
softly and lovingly in our homes? In my own family we
achieved this by setting a goal to have a "heavenly
sounding home." It worked like magic! Try it, you'll
like it!
Note
from Elma: At times, it is well to ask ourselves:
"How would I feel if my loved ones treated me the
way I treat them?" Bear in mind that the way others
feel about us is largely determined by the way we make
them feel about themselves when they are around us. Remember
the Golden Rule? "Do unto others as you would have
others do unto you." Study my Picture Sermon to find
other ways of expressing love in word and deed. Note the
ways we express negative, LOVES ME NOT's. And I'll bet
most of us do these without even realizing it. We need
to replace them with positive LOVES ME's.
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