Think back to when you were a child. Chances are that activities that brought you joy then still do. I loved reading, biking, learning to cook and sew, playing with my dog, dressing up, learning the joy of riding a horse., visiting a museum. These are activities that delight me decades later, most of which I can share with David. One way we keep our love so alive is to make sure we include ways to have fun together. To [...]
source: jill111-Pixabay As infants, we suffered distress to teach us to reach out for comfort. We formed expectations for whether or not comfort would be provided consistently and with generosity of spirit. Those expectations form the basic data for "Attachment theory", long ago validated in infants and documented in adults for decades. But regardless of our attachment styles - and thus expectations - we still can require comfort as adults. When love in the form of comfort is [...]
Source: Pexels/Pixabay The sacred task of "doing the maintenance" can become a joy when accompanied by love. It can preserve and enhance the joys and communication between people, especially when tasks are shared. Read "52 Ways to Show I Love You: Do the Maintenance" on Psychology—Today.com by clicking here.
Through stretching our bodies, minds and relationships, we nourish love. We honor the old, accommodate to the new, and let go of the unnecessary as we make space for reaching towards each other and out into the world. For the Life, Refracted post "Showing Love Through Stretching", continuing the series of "52 Ways to Show I Love You", click here.
Source: AGuen/Pixabay Sometimes a person is dependent on others for whatever needs doing. Whether a crisis, an ongoing commitment, or a one-shot opportunity, pitching in allows unique expressions of love that show, rather than tell, your love. For more thoughts on this topic, read my Life, Refracted post on "52 Ways to Show I Love You: Pitching In", just click here.
Source: paulbr75/Pixabay Knowing when and how to protect someone we love — from their inner dangers, from outer threats, from the seemingly random accidents than occur — is an intuitive way to show love. So, too, is knowing when to step back and leave room for them to care for themselves. To read about "52 Ways to Show I Love You - Protecting" in my Life, Refracted blog, click here.
source: Skullman/Pixabay As we grow older, our priorities change and our willingness to do things that we could not have imagined — and to not do things we formerly embraced — reflect our evolution. By embracing the inevitability of losses, we appreciate the importance of joy. To read my Life, Refracted post "52 Ways to Show I Love you: Aging With Joy", click here. Love is real - and love is living.
From earliest days, a person can learn love through the teachings of those who love him or her. Take a moment to think about ways you have expressed love through teaching skills, information, perception, savvy - or ways in which you have felt love when you have been taught. Click on the Life, Refracted post here.
and Old, Familiar Ones.... Last week, in “Recognizing Mistakes”, I introduced some ways in which a close relationship can become derailed. Misunderstandings, poor or missing communication, failures to clearly express wants and needs and to consider ways to meet them can all offer occasions to show love. Taking these opportunities a bit further, we can Accept Responsibility for a challenge within the relationship. What needs accepting? Individual responsibility — I did it! People vary in how they experience their inevitable errors, especially those [...]
Source: bykst/Pixabay According to Cardinal John Henry Newman, “To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.” Hopefully, we grow not only in response to changing conditions but also in recognition of “mistakes” we have made in the past. Regrets of ways in which we may have hurt someone we love, or damaged our relationship with them, can be the most troubling. Recognizing such errors can be a big first step towards repair and showing your love. What [...]