It’s Valentine’s Day and love is in the air. Through the ages there have been many types and definitions of love, including the affection of friendship, romantic love, the love within a family, and Agape love. Agape (pronounced ah gah pay) is an unselfish love; such love sacrifices for the good others. I love watching birds making a nest for their babies. It takes a lot of work to find the materials and weave them into a home. They carefully tend the eggs, keeping them warm until the babies hatch from the eggs. Then the real work begins as the parents take turns bringing food to the growing babies. Eventually the baby birds are plumper and sleeker than their slightly ragged looking parents. I love to see how the parents take such good care of their babies.
Good parents are unselfish, often sacrificing sleep, time, and money, among many other things, for the sake of their babies and growing children. I know my mother made many sacrifices for me. One of the times I sent my mother flowers, I included a note expressing my thankfulness for her and the sacrifices she made through the years. She wrote back to me: “Thank you for the sweet note and lovely flowers and remember: anything that was ever done for my children was never a sacrifice in my book…you were and are my life. My calling, if you will.” It was stunning to know I was her calling in life!
My parents loved to sing together around the home, especially favorite love songs. They were there for each other through thick and thin. Their unselfish love for each other spilled over into all our lives. I still miss my mother, but on this Valentine’s Day, I want to remember: love endures, love sacrifices, love seeks the very best for someone else, and love is here to stay. My mother’s love showed me God’s love. She taught me I was never alone because I always had the perfect love of my Heavenly Father. One of the songs my mother recorded with the Vesper Trio was, “Never Alone,” by E. C. Heidelberg, copyright 1957 by Singspiration, Inc. Remember, you are never alone. God’s love is here to stay!
How do you spell love? I know how I spell love. Words can be cheap, but I say real love is spelled by caring actions, self-sacrifice, and endurance.
I believe in love and forgiveness.
Take care,
Charlyne