“I Love You To Life!”
I recently heard this phrase “I love you to life!” and love it; it's kinder and positive!
Has anyone ever told you, "I love you to life?" Does anybody love you like that or has?
So much has been said, written, and sung about Love. And there should, because:
Love is such a powerful force it breathes life back into our tired souls.
It has the power to believe in us more than we believe in ourselves.
It sees our beauty where we only see imperfection.
It shows empathy when there are no words.
A love like this hijacks our hopelessness to focus on our possibilities.
It reminds us of how far we've come and who we've become.
It unfailingly believes in better days ahead.
It covers us those times when we were less than our best.
It helps us get back up and try again, and again, and again.
This kind of Love is patient -for the millionth time.
It goes the extra mile even when it's late.
It brings us strength and joy to our everyday life.
It inspires us to be better people in everything we do.
It embraces all of who we are, the "not enough" and "the too much!"
A love that loves us to life looks out for us. It protects.
It stays even when they could've left.
It cares when you're not well.
It hugs when all you need is a hug of reassurance.
It smiles when you need a ray of sunshine!
We all experience Love differently, but we all long for it at a soul level.
As Toni Morrison wrote: "Love is or it ain't. Thin Love ain't love at all." -Such a fabulous phrase! -I know it's Valentine's Day, but love isn't just the romantic kind. Sometimes, friends love us with this kind of Love. Often, it could be a parent; hands down, a dog! Aren't we lucky either way?
If we're honest, we're still unsure how can anyone love us this much when we had almost given up on the concept. Or maybe you did give up because it was too painful. Just because someone didn't love us right doesn't mean we don't want to be loved to life again.
I'm also mindful that the best gift of Love we can give ourselves is to "love ourselves to life" first. When we do this, I believe Life brings us the Love we long for and deserve.
Loving someone to life isn't going to be perfect, of course. Perfection is an illusion. It's such a low standard because it doesn't really exist. I don't know why we try so hard to pursue it. If anything, I've learned that Love that gives your soul life is a verb. All the little things you do with great Love can compound into something grand.
Things like laughing together or fixing a meal. Being at the store and remembering what they like, doing something to surprise them. Taking a walk outside, a heartfelt hug. Thanking them for something they did without you really asking. And a jillion other small everyday things. It doesn't need to be something fancy, but it does require your love. And if you let it, this kind of Love can evolve into something so extraordinary, you can hardly imagine your life without it!
I love Love. It transforms everything in our life in but a moment. February is our month. We got married on Feb 27th, and Valentine's! So we try to celebrate every day of this month with simple things that remind us why we chose each other over 27 years ago, and 2 sons, 7 moves, 3 dogs, and 1 cat later.
It sounds rosy, I know, but it wasn't always like this. Every couple has its seasons; through them all, you learn what Love is about. It's not always roses, chocolate, and fancy dinners. It's more of an invitation to do life together -all of it, the fun and the messy! So we honored that invitation and are writing our stories together -come what may. Everyday is a new chance to write a better, more life-giving chapter.
Looking back on these 25 years of marriage -more times than not, our Love has brought life to our soul in so many ways. -Especially on those days you didn’t realize that what you needed the most was to hear: “I love you to life!” And that phrase somehow just made it all better.
On this Valentine's Day, I wish you love. I hope above all you feel accepted, cherished and loved for who you are! I believe God, who is Love and loves us first, is always helping us love others to life so we can live loved, in hope, joy, and gratitude in every season.
All my best to you,
Maria A. Mansfield, PRS-E
Author & Women’s Life Coach
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