Listen for LOVE
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 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 who 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 them. Remember always to say what you  mean. Never be afraid to express yourself. Take this opportunity to  tell someone what they mean 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.
 
 Pass this along to your friends.  Let it make a difference in your  day and theirs. The difference between expressing love and having  regrets is that the regrets may stay around.
 
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 Only when you meet someone very bad, then
 you will know how to appreciate the good one.
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 "It is more blessed to give..."
 
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