I Love You

A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love.
~Max Muller~

I say "I love you" a lot.  I say it to my husband and our children every single day.  I say it to my aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters-in-law whenever I talk to them on the phone.  I say it to my friends whenever we've spent time together or had a conversation on the phone.

I noticed today that it's a conscious choice on my part.  It's not an automated response that I'm not even aware has been said.  It's not a simple comment like 'have a nice day' that I toss out casually.  When I say it, I mean to say it.  Not only that, if I have ever said "I love you" to someone, it was said honestly and was a statement of my real feelings.

I have a cousin (I love you, Doo!) who takes it a step farther.  She is always adding "I appreciate you" to the mix.  How awesome is that?  Love is a feeling, an emotion, that we really have little if any control over.  But appreciation?  Wow - that's a choice.  That takes some thought.  You know what else?  When someone tells you that, it's an amazing feeling!

There's no real purpose to this blog except to express, yet again, how lucky I feel and blessed I am that God has filled my life with such beautiful people. Thank you, God. I love you, too.