Three words on a paper heart

This time of year a year ago, I had been going through a pretty tough winter with family stuff and school. Then came Valentine’s Day, with all the usual cards and candy. One valentine that I received from a friend stood out to me. It was a simple cut out heart, with pale pink writing on flimsy mint colored paper. “You are loved”, it read, with a lopsided heart at the bottom. 

I couldn’t believe that such a simple piece of paper could mean so much to me, but it did. You are loved. These three words brought more comfort and reassurance to me than anything else had in the past months, more than all the hugs and sympathetic questions of “Are you okay?” when the answer was clearly no. I don’t think my friend (or most people for that matter) really knew what was going on in my life at that time, but this simple piece of paper was a saving grace. I am loved. My friends love me. God loves me. It’s then when I realized that everything was going to be alright.

I guess the moral of this story is that a simple act of loving kindness really can make a difference. On Valentine’s Day and every day, show your love to others. You never know how much they might need it.

@kenziekinzels (Kenzie)…you probably figured out this was about you. I don’t think I ever said thank you for how much that silly paper heart meant to me. Thanks bro :) And to all my friends: Thanks for always having my back. I love you all and I don’t know what I’d do without you!

Prayer About Love

God, help me to love today.

Help me to open my heart to embrace the world and to receive its embrace in return.

Help me to use my ability to love as a way to heal myself, as well as to heal others.

Help me to learn that in loving myself I make it possible to love others, and that barriers to loving myself are barriers to my ability to give love.

God, help me to surprise someone with love today.

Help me to see a need for love in those around me.

Help me to be able to respond with love to challenges that I am facing in my life.

God, help me to love someone I am having trouble with.

Help me to see love as a way of resolving conflict.

Help me to remember love as a way to connect with others.

Amen.

 

Prayer from http://www.waterprayer.com/topics/love.html

 

I love the messages in this prayer—that we must love ourselves and be open to receiving love in order to love others, and that love is the best solution to challenges and conflict. This prayer reminds us of Jesus’ teaching to “love your neighbor as yourself”. Valentine’s Day is a wonderful time to surprise someone with love, whether by giving that person a card, a smile, or just telling them how important they are to you. On this day especially it is important to be aware of the people around us who are in need of love, and to remember that God loves us.