Three Little Words

I spent this past Sunday afternoon with two of my girls, Ashley and Rebecca.  While we were out and about having a fabulous girlie time Ashley felt the need to tell us how much she loves us and appreciates us and our friendship.  It was such a wonderful moment and throughout the day we each kept saying, “Aw, I love you guys!”  


Later I was thinking about how infrequently we really let people know how much we appreciate them.  I was reminded of the show The Hills.  When Rebecca moved in she got me semi-hooked and we watched the last two seasons together.  Now that summer has rolled around and there is very little on TV I decided to go back and watch the beginning of the show on Netflix to see how things started and see the history behind everything that was currently happening.  (I know a few of you are rolling your eyes at me at the moment, but I promise I learned something from this pseudo-reality show.)  One thing that struck me was the fact that Lauren Conrad rarely got off the phone with a friend that she didn’t tell them she loved them.  I remember thinking to myself, “Huh, she always tells her friends she loves them.  I don’t do that.”

Now I grew up in a family where we always end phone calls with I love you.  Goodbyes always have I love you incorporated.  This was just ingrained in me.  I guess I’m always thinking, “If for some reason this is the last conversation I have with this person, will they remember that I loved them?”  However this hasn’t really translated into all of my relationships.  I always try to end conversations with the girls I grew up with with “I love you” but it seems to allude me when it comes to the people I see every day.  

Even as I ponder this I’m reminded of the Garth Brooks song “If Tomorrow Never Comes.”  He’s singing about his wife and he says, “If tomorrow never comes, will she know how much I loved her.  Did I try in every way, to show her every day, that she’s my only one?  If my time on earth were through and she must face this world without me, would the love I gave her in the past be enough to last if tomorrow never comes?”  

Do the people in your life know how much they mean to you?  Do you make it a point to let them know you appreciate them or that you are glad they are in your life?  Do you tell your friends that you love them?  On a regular basis?  Or does it weird you out?

You know the Bible says to greet each other with a holy kiss.  Now I’m not implying we should all start kissing each other, actually I’m rather opposed to that notion, but I am proposing that we step up our verbal appreciation of each other.  Hugs are great, but even hugs can be deceiving.  Actions do speak louder than words, but they do not make words obsolete!

Put your words to good use!  Spread the love!  Create an atmosphere of appreciation!  Make sure those that are important to you won’t have to doubt how you felt about them should tomorrow never come!