“Love is a verb. Love – the feeling – is the fruit of love the verb or our loving actions. So love her. Sacrifice. Listen to her. Empathize. Appreciate. Affirm her.”
~ Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Love is a verb; it’s one of my favourite sayings. Love isn’t manifest in cards, chocolates, flowers, or fancy words, though the world may have one believe otherwise today–and lay out some cash in order to do so. Make no mistake; love is an action word.
Love is in the cup of coffee my husband brings me every morning. It’s in his willingness to stand in line in the cold to get me an appointment at the walk-in clinic.
It’s in the making of a meal and the cleaning up afterwards (she cooks; he cleans). Love is in vacuuming a carpet, scrubbing a toilet, dusting the furniture, washing a floor, and caring for a home together.
Love is my dad promising his bride-to-be that he will give her a house, a diamond ring, and a fur coat . . and doing it. Love is in him going to work every day after the children came so she could stay at home with us.
Love is in the hands of my uncle scrubbing potatoes at the kitchen sink because my aunt’s arthritis made it difficult for her.
Love is a woman I know spending day after day, and night after night, at the hospital with an ailing husband.
Love is laughing together, crying together, sticking together, praying together.
Love is a verb. Don’t settle for anything less.
I so agree! Last week I saw a husband feed his ailing wife, her mouth open like a bird for spoonfuls of food. When she couldn’t swallow, he’d massage her cheek and whisper, “I love you, Sweetie!” I’m glad there was a Kleenex box close by.
That reminds me of the tender love I’ve seen between my parents-in-love, Marian. These things are what love truly is.