Our feature highlighting Michael Redhead Champagne’s gratitude for the volunteers in his Canadian community generated many comments from readers about love and how they show it. Here are a handful of their responses.
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Victoria McNally: Food is Love
I was shown love from my mother, father, and grandparents through food. My father especially would make me dinner every night and he would always remind me “food is love.” As an Italian woman, when I love someone I have a strong urge to cook for them. Food is not just about taste; it is the careful preparation and delicacy that is put into the dish that shows love. It is the warm feeling after your appetite is sated.
Sparky Jen: Love is a Helping Hand
My beloved Mother always told me that “Actions Speak Louder Than Words.” I like to express how I feel by giving back. If a family member or friend needs a helping hand, I have two. I also do a lot of volunteer work, whether it be inspirational speaking or reminiscing several times a month with people who have dementia. I love being of help, even if it is giving to someone I don’t know. We are all connected, and lending a helping hand is a lifeline we all need at some point or the other. Be it far from me to cut my cord!
Earlene Gleisner: Love is Small Offerings
I read an article about a study which investigated the ways people feel that they are loved. The study was able to define five ways in which we feel loved. They are 1) getting compliments 2) have someone to offer their services to us 3) receiving gifts 4) having someone hang out with us and 5) having someone touch us.
I know with my late husband, he was rarely able to say “I love you.” Neither were my parents. A wise grandma told me to look at the actions of love and I would have no need for someone to tell me the three little words. I watched and saw how he brought in wild black raspberries or wild strawberries for my breakfast most every morning, or how he listened when I wanted a few steps built in a hill so I could get to our storage unit there. His offerings were that he was showing his love by being of service. I began listening and providing service to him and it changed our marriage.
As he was dying, he was finally able to say the I love you words because he could no longer do for me the way he had.
I think when we live in relationships, the importance of taking time to notice how we subtly communicate with each other can add many dimensions to the experience. I have done this exercise with all my significant family members. I have also determined for myself that I just like to be able to hang out with them. They haven’t caught on yet, but I’m hoping. I guess I could tell them. That would help.
Madison Kindell: Love is Being Present
I show my love by listening with the intent to really understand what they’re saying not necessarily to respond. I care about the people in my life and when I’m with them I’m present. Not on my phone or in front of a TV. I think genuine conversation and really hearing them is the most important way to tell somebody that you care about them and what they have to say.
Also another way is genuine praise. I have this one friend that always makes me feel so good. Every time she introduces me to somebody they already have heard all about me and are so pleased to meet me. She tells everybody what an inspiration I was to her. She has had such a big impact on MY LIFE and her words make me feel so special that I have literally striven to be like her in this way just because I know how happy it makes me.
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A person says I love you so much that the WORDS I LOVE YOU become just WORDS; however, the best way to say I love you, is to show unconditional love, to give love, to exhibit love, to love not with WORDS but to love by action, to the point that hearing the WORDS I LOVE YOU is not necessary because one can feel the love demonstrated on a daily basis.
One can than respond and not have to rely on mere words “I LOVE YOU” but one can say “I feel loved, and I know that you love me!
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Could not agree more!!!
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Superb..i LOVE this article
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Gestures that show I love him
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showing emotions
allows forgiving
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Saying it should be the icing of the whole..gestures of kindness, show love..care and be that person that you want her/him to be instead. It speaks volumes. When the time comes for you to say the magical words, they are already attuned to the aura.
I’m a new blogger ,writing about relational matters, especially about love,dating and relationships in general. Thank you
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Oooo love this article!
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I personally do not like to use the words “I love you” in a relationship. I went through a very difficult divorce (it took me 3 years to finally get divorced) and I remember my ex-husband would have these crazy fits in an argument and then come telling me “forgive me, I love you”. Those words lost their meaning to me. I am in a beautiful relationship nowadays and I tell my partner that unfortunately I am not comfortable saying it. It took him a while to understand, but now he knows to look for my love in everyday gestures… There is so much more to loving someone than those 3 words.
Thank you for this beautiful post! I am glad I am not alone =)
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Love is best expressed in action.
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How to say love? Marriage and words of proposal almost come off as traditional for those we wish to be part of our lives. Existing family can be shown love through food – as listed above, trips, experiences, words of courage during hard times…for love between two people however, the words in relation to marriage are subject to speeches, traditionally. I read a poem not too long ago about this, and rather than “spend your life with me”, the author changed it to “share a headstone with me”
That is impactful, for me that says a lot.
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Wonderful blog post. I really enjoyed reading it. Thank you so much for writing it.
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It should be based on how the other person receives love. Saying those words should be felt by the other person and what better way than showing them you know their kind of love 🙂 New to blogging and enjoying it so far!
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Saying I Love You isn’t enough to prove that I really do, saying it is just a way of informing you of how I feel.
You will need to show signs such as kindness, respect, been a good listener e.t.c
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Love is caring and sharing irrespective of good or bad and selflessness but what we see today? Hmmmm each and every one has their version of it through experience. Thank you
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Love is meteors showers in the dark empty sky..
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Showing the person with nice gestures. And forgiveness the greatest form of love
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love is: working a twelve hour shift, coming home and clearing 6 inches of snow of my beloved’s car and go to the shop for groceries, just because she is my world… my joy… my everything!
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“Love ya!” comes out so flippantly so frequently. I drop off my friend after a trip to the mall, and she’ll say it just before she closes the car door. But what does “I love you” really mean to me? Love demands me to be open. Yes, though I ended up burned when I chose honesty and trust, I don’t regret that brush with vulnerability.
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Love…. love is shown differently and expressed through our works. We learn to love people by the relationships we have with and learn from them. We may express our love to someone one way and differently with another, but the love we have doesn’t (have to) subtract because our hearts are big enough to love everyone. Love is such a beautiful thing because it always spreads and it grows more intensely when we are open to it; and the best love to feel is the love that Jesus shares with us! Love is magnificent if you think about it we can get from all people, just imagine how beautiful the world would be if we all loved each other!
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I liked your sentence a lot ” it grows more intensely when we are open to it” 🙂
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Thank you, my friend.
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Thank you for this wonderful and heartwarming blog, Krista! Keep writing 🙂
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beautiful feeling in the world LOVE ❤
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I never tell people that I love them , because i don’t need to tell or remind them that i love em…..
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👏
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Well, i would say am not a person who is soo clingy when it comes any kinda relationship.. i just show everything in action. Btw.. idk how to say anything of cheesy ones soo yeah.. Love is so simple , we make it complicated.. just show , that’s it!
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Never even had a chance in a very long time
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I absolutely adore this post!
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Love is the feeling of safety. It can be with anyone, your parents, spouse, sibling. I really like making small handmade gifts with lot of effort cause that is the way I show that I love them. Great article, just loved it ❤
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You say and mean it everytime like it’s the your last day, or her last day.
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How do i say i love you,well it’s both the unseen actions and the seen.i utilize both for effectiveness and good feedback.coz you might give a sign (Non verbal) and your recipient can’t interpret, it’s not their fault, so there, you’ll need to add value to the unsaid with words. ☺
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This was such a sweet article. I think love is a feeling of being home. It’s safety, trust, and familiarity. It’s knowing with all your being that a person will support you and be right beside you no matter what happens. Love is the warmth of hot cocoa on a chilly winter night, a peace in your soul, being wrapped in a blanket while doing something you love. It’s a close and a soft feeling.
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Love is in one song, in one person, it’s a beautiful 😍
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I totally agree, once you feel the love of Christ you realize what Love truly should be! It’s so beautiful, it is so precious. Thankyou for your thoughtful words.
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Well good topic how you say I Love You. Firstly I want to say love is the best feelings in the world. When you have love, your life is awesome but when you lost that you feel then what is pain and then maturity comes and you try to manage yourself in every single situation. Yes I say that I love her. In VM hall we both are sitting in a bench. I hold her hand and looks at her eyes. We both look each other eyes and I tell her that I can’t live without her and after listening that she just smile. The plane for visit in VM hall made by her. Later I realized that she know that I propose her today that’s why see spend more time there. Now we are separate and both are ran for our future and ignore each other but the day we spend in Victory memories together I never forget. Love is unconditional and precious.
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Love is better shown than said…because love is choosing to place someone before you
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Enjoyed your post 🙂
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Love is when you can accept yourself for who you are without them just as much as who you are with them. For if someone can make you feel whole when not just in their company, then that is true love.
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This is so nice ❤
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I say in voice msg to my boyfriend 😇
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Love for me is to care for someone-to do something nice for someone else, other than myself. Also doing ‘sewa’ which is voluntary work for others is lots different form ☺️
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Love is when you see when you see a tiny peanut grow up to be a basketball player with a scar on her nose and her cheek with pride, love is knowing that even though you lost your best friend who you thought was like a little sister you will always be able to go home to your peanut, love is when all your heart has been given away you know someone is willing to share theirs with you, love knows that hate is just love gone bad, love knows when to redeem the one that is lost, love is forever patient forever love.
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Love isn’t always words but actions and body language. Love unlike other emotions has many beautiful faces and forms
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Love shouldn’t be, but most of the time is someone. Love, when no reciprocated, hurts.
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I usually didn’t say it but, i make them feel cared. I’m not good at saying those words but I know how to show it. That’s how i say I love them.
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Love is better shown through action.
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Beautiful!
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I love to post a fave pic of me and the person and rave about how amazing they are on social media! I also like to surprise them with little acts of service – making them bfast, cleaning the entire kitchen before they wake up, etc. 😊
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Love is magical and you can say I love you with affection
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For me, I don’t always say it. It’s more of the little actions, the little thoughtful things that I do for them without ever being asked. They may not ever notice some of these things were done by me, but knowing it makes them happy or know that someone cares is all the reward I need.
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