Listen For LOVE

[Ayaan]

There are times when we are timid and shy about expressing the love we
feel. For fear of embarrassing the other person, or ourselves, we
hesitate to say the actual words "I love you." So we try to
communicate the idea in other words. We say 'take care' or 'don't
drive too fast' or 'be good.' But really, these are just other ways of
saying 'I love you,' 'you are important to me,' 'I care what happens
to you,' 'I don't want you to get hurt.'

We are sometimes very strange people. The only thing we want to say,
and the one thing that we should say, is the one thing we don't say.
And yet,because the feeling is so real, and the need to say it is so
strong, we are driven to use other words and signs to say what we
really mean. And many times the meaning never gets communicated at all
and the other person is left feeling
UNLOVED and UNWANTED !.
Therefore, we have to LISTEN FOR LOVE in the words that people are
saying to us. Sometimes the explicit words are necessary, but more
often, the manner of saying things is even more important.
A joyous insult carries more affection and love within the sentiments
which are expressed insincerely.
An impulsive hug says I LOVE YOU even though the words might be saying
very different. Any __expression of a person's concern for another
says I love you. Sometimes the __expression is clumsy, sometimes even
cruel. Sometimes we must look and listen very intently for the love
that contains. But it is often there, beneath the surface.
A mother may nag her son constantly about his grades or cleaning his
room. The son may hear only the nagging, but if he listens carefully,
he will hear the love underneath the nagging. His mother wants him to
do well, to be successful. Her concern and love for her son
unfortunately emerge in her nagging. But it is love all the same.
A daughter comes home late, way past her curfew, and her father
confronts her with angry words. The daughter may hear only the anger,
but if she listens carefully, she will hear the love under the anger.
"I was worried about you," the father is saying.'Because I care about
you and I love you. You are important to me. We say I love you in many
ways- with birthday gifts, and little notes, with smiles and sometimes
with tears. Sometimes we show our love by
just keeping quiet and not saying a word, at other times by speaking
out, even brusquely. We show our love sometimes by impulsiveness. Many
times we have to show our love by forgiving someone who has not
listened to the love we have tried to express. The problem is
listening for love is that we don't always understand the language of
love which the other person is using. A girl may use tears or emotions
to say what she wants to say, and her boyfriend may not understand her
because he expects her to be talking his language. Thus, we have to
force ourselves to really listen for love. The problem with our world
is that people rarely listen to each other. They hear the words, but
they don't listen to the actions that accompany the words or the
__expression on the face.
Or people listen only for rejection or misunderstanding. They do not
see the love that is there just beneath the surface, even if the words
are angry. We have to listen for love in those around us. If we listen
intently we will discover that we are a lot more loved than we
realize. Listen for love and we will learn to be more loving too.

It is not the presence or absence of people that makes the difference
because a person need not be lonely even if he is alone.Sometimes it
is good to be alone.But that does not make us lonely. It is not a
matter of being present WITH someone. It is a matter of being present
TO someone. So remember... If you love someone, tell them.
Remember always to say what you mean. Never be afraid to express
yourself. Take this opportunity to tell someone what they mean to you.
Seize the day and have no regrets. Most importantly, stay close to
your friends and family, for they have helped make you the person that
you are today .