THANK YOU First of all, I want to give Bond from Bond's Big Leather Couch as HUGE Thank You for my design. He did such a wonderful job. Three Things in Life That Is Most Valuable Love - We have been given the impression that to define love is almost impossible. Maybe it’s the fear that if we define it that it would be less powerful…less mysterious… less exhilarating. Maybe we like the mystery of it. But is it really that complicated? Perhaps the complications from love come from all “stuff” we add on to this powerful emotion. Love is Accepting – Acceptance as labeling someone “okay” and having no particular desire to change them. Who they are is perfectly fine with you. You pose no condition on whether you will love them or not. This is called “unconditional love”. When you love IS conditional and they step out of your condition that is when love has evaporated. Love is Appreciating – Appreciation is one step beyond Acceptance. It’s when you focus on what you like about one another. You look at them and feel this sweeping desire for who they are, their joy, their insights, their humor, their companionship, etc… When someone say that they are “in love” with someone, it simply means that their appreciation for that person is so enormous it consumes their every thought. Love is expressed when you give your attention, your time, your focus to someone. Webster defines attention as “the giving of one’s mind to something”. There are many ways in which we give our attention to another. We use our five senses. Our ears to listen, our eyes for watching another, tasting/smelling (I’ll let you figure that one out), touching, giving a hug, holding a hand, a caress or sexual expression. How you express your love depends on the type of relationship. Family &Friends – It has been said that you can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family. Yes family holds a greater importance to us than anything else. Families are forever. You are born into families and you die with families around. Families go way back in history. All of us have ancestors. There is no getting away from them… Whether good or bad they are there like it or not. Families are forever. Families are important. We have been given love, encouragement, understanding, hope, advice, moral values, ideals but best of all be have been taught our faith. We have been told to laugh at our mistakes and learn from them. We have been taught to enjoy life. We have been taught honor and respect. Since families are forever, we pass these traditions on to the next generation. Families are there for us. We can go to them when we need a comforting shoulder to lean on or when we need a helping hand. Who shares our earliest memories? Who can we get mad at and even they may not show it love us anyway… unconditionally. Who know you better than family? I was once told, and have always told my children, that it’s not the quantity of friends that you have but the quality. I had rather have one true friend who knows me inside and out than have a multitude of friends who know nothing and would stab me in the back at the first opportunity. I have been blessed with a multitude of lasting friendships. Some scattered around the world. Even the ones who have briefly touched my life have left the sweet fragrance of memories behind. A true friend is some one who will not sleep with your spouse, or will not spread your personal life to strangers. A true friend will not expect you to pay for your birthday dinner or spread vicious rumors about you that aren’t true. A true friend will never be jealous of your accomplishments. A true friend is forever. Kindness - No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. Aesop, The Lion and the Mouse Greek slave & fable author (620 BC - 560 BC) I have always and will always practice acts of kindness and pay it forward. When a person asks “why” or “how can I repay you” I simply reply “Do something kind and helpful for another the next time you see a need or opportunity. Acts of kindness ripple through the universe in ways that we will never know. A smile, a helpful gesture or a kind word can all make a difference. Giving of ourselves, our resources, our wisdom and consideration. Sitting down and listening to someone, really listening to them. All these things have immeasurable consequences, and can affect the world around us in ways small and profound. We are all connected, even amongst strangers, in ways that we often take for granted in today's culture. There are many ways do create acts of kindness,...in simple hugs to lonely people, in sharing food to the hungry, assisting the elderly and disabled, visiting the fatherless and widows....sharing Christ's love abundantly....it is more fulfilling to give than to receive. Look everywhere you can to help and share. Do something for someone to help them in some way or to brighten their day without conditions or wanting something in return, do something for someone unconditionally.