Six - Show and Tell
When I started dating my husband, he noticed something about my family that struck him as unusual. He noticed that whenever one of us left, no matter how long or short the trip, we'd say we loved each other. He thought it minimized it's significance to say "I love you" too often.
What he didn't understand was that we were a family who had always been comfortable saying, "I love you," but after my sixteen-year-old brother died in a car accident, it became imperative to each of us that we express our love. When you realize that every time someone leaves it could be the last time you see them, you're less shy about expressing those feelings.
When we got married, I knew Travis loved me (he married me, after all) but he still hesitated to be too expressive. When I asked him why he didn't always tell me he loved me, he said he didn't need to say it all the time. He showed me he loved me by helping out around the house and by surprising me sometimes with See's candies or some other gift.
It took awhile for him to realize that it was really important to me that I hear it. I think that's super important in a marriage, but I think it's even more important in the parent/child relationship. Our kids need to hear us tell them we love them and I think it's really important for our kids to be comfortable telling us and each other of their love.
It isn't enough to just show our love and it isn't enough for us to just tell our love. We all need both.
The world can be a harsh place. People will often be unfair or unkind. If we make our homes places filled with love and service and kind words, our homes will be safe places filled with the spirit.
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