By Kenneth Stepp
I love you… Powerful words, that evoke powerful feelings, from both the one saying them and to the one hearing them. In a world where many have forgotten what love is, these words have in some cases, become cliche’. “I love you too”, has become a standard reply to these beautiful words. Love is not just a word. It’s a state of one’s being, and for many of us, a destination. Love can define you. I’m not sure that it always does, but it should. For me, love is a word full of energy. Love is active. If I love you, I am doing things for you, I’m showing you I love you. Love someone beyond yourself and see if this isn’t so. When our children were young, some of the things we did for them seemed crazy to a person who never had kids. Or a person who has never loved. Love truly is, a miracle…
“To be fully seen by somebody, then, and be loved anyhow – this is a human offering that can border on miraculous.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert
Lights, camera, action! This should be heard as “I love you”, is being said. Saying I love you and showing I love you are very different. One might be a goal or a wish, the other is concrete, and is in and of itself, proof of that love. For me, I am trying something I’ve never tried, to gain something I’ve never had. This journey to find my forever has made me a warrior. But what happens when you find them? We are so use to having our guard up, walls high, armor on, and sword in hand, that we or at least some of us, haven’t given much thought about what to do when love arrives. Since I have never loved as much as I know I will, I felt I should also, never be so vulnerable as now. Trust, it’s a journey by itself. But love calls us to be open, for me that means standing in front of all those in my orbit, no armor, walls gone, and defenses down. I still don’t know where my sword went. But, I won’t be needing it anymore anyway.
“He’s not your prince charming if he doesn’t make sure you know that you’re his princess.”
― Demi Lovato
I’ll just tell her that my goal is for her to know she is loved. I wonder if I’ll be successful in that undertaking, or, if she’d let me know. It doesn’t matter, I’ll love loving her. Isn’t that the way it should be? It’s times like these when I think of the past. The relationships I’ve known, my marriage, so many regrets, so many things I wish I could do over, so many times words were left unsaid, things were left undone. I am determined that the next time I will say those words, do those things, I’ll be transparent, and authentic with my partner. I can recall times when my past relationships became dry, stale even. I remember in my marriage. So many mistakes. To allow ego, pride, or anything else to destroy love. Wow, why do we do that? To love is the most important accomplishment we can achieve.
“What a grand thing, to be loved! What a grander thing still, to love!”
― Victor Hugo
I have been a goal setter my entire life. My goals have been big, most of the time. As I age I found that having my goals be big, has far less value than having them be important. Big is ego. Important “can be” , but is always about others. Someday, “others” will be just one person. My forever love, on that day, my accomplishment, my goal, what’s important to me, well, that when she lays her head down to sleep, and she knows. She knows I am thinking of her, she knows I care about what she cares about, she knows that those she loves, I love. But most of all. She knows she is loved… #comefindme
“Real love, loves completely. Real love, leaves no doubt, real love has no limits, and gives with nothing held back, real love under-promises and over-preforms” – k stepp
