Today is Valentine’s Day, a day to pause and reflect on your loved ones. Make it a point to foster optimistic thoughts and uplifting feelings throughout the day.
Stephen Covey said the following about love in his book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, “When we make deposits of unconditional love, when we live the primary laws of love, we encourage others to live the primary laws of life. In other words, when we truly love others without condition, without strings, we help them feel secure and safe and validated and affirmed in their essential worth, identity, and integrity. Their natural growth process is encouraged. We make it easier for them to live the laws of life – cooperation, contribution, self-discipline, integrity – and to discover and live true to the highest and best within them.”1
The book, “The One Year Devotions for Couples”, expands on the concept of true love and it says that: “The word love is overly used and often misused in our language. We can hear the word love used in connection with Mexican food, tennis, and sex. But God’s intention for a loving marriage is something sacred and precious. True love is an unconditional commitment to an imperfect person. There is not perfect person or perfect marriage, but love means being firmly committed to loving your spouse in the midst of both your imperfections. To love is to delight in your spouse’s person and presence – who this person is – not just in what he or she does. It means having a deep, tender affection for your spouse. Love means desiring to be with that person and expressing devotion to him or her. Love is not based on performance or behavior but on your choice to care for your spouse as you have been cared for.”2
I hope that you have an enjoyable and loving day. A big hug and lots of love to my WordPress community.
- Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. (P. 199). Fireside. New York. 1990 ↩︎
- Ferguson, David and Ferguson, Teresa. The One Year Devotions for Couples. (August 28 Devotional). Tyndall House Publishers, Inc. 2001 ↩︎
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Hello nice to meet you I like your site/blog
Tim
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Thank you.
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A beautiful reflection on the true nature of love. Thank you, Edward!
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Thank you, Wynne, for reading and commenting.
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I like your declaration that no partner is perfect. I also like the focus on cooperation, contribution, self-discipline, and integrity. Hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
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Thank you, Rebecca. We had a great day, and I hope yours was too.
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Ours was low key, we exchanged hand made cards. The bigger celebration for we three was Saturday when we went to our local Planetarium for a Star Show and out for Dim Sum.
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Nice! Ours was low key too. I cooked dinner, and the three of us spent the afternoon/night together, just relaxing.
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Sounds great. What was for dinner? 🙂
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Nothing fancy. Just oven-baked ribs, mashed potatoes, and salad. Well, French fries for my son since he doesn’t like mashed potatoes.
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Good home cooking! I made quinoa and turkey. Artichokes (on sale!) and homemade herbed mayonnaise (second time ever).
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Nice!
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Thanks!
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You’re spot on, Edward. I especially like when you say: “There is not perfect person or perfect marriage, but love means being firmly committed to loving your spouse in the midst of both your imperfections.” We falter when we expect more than the other is able to give.
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So true. Thank you 🙏🏽
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“To love is to delight in your spouse’s person and presence – who this person is – not just in what he or she does.” Hoo boy, do most of us need reminding of this!
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Yes, we need it. Thank you Ana for reading and I’m glad that part caught your attention.
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There’s a whole chapter in my web book titled “Love is Not a Bargain,” and its first line is, “A bargain is not love.”
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“Love is not a bargain”, good title and a lot to think about on that one.
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👌
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Excellent article on definition of love!
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Thank you very much.
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You’re very welcome!
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I value your thoughtful posts that include interesting research and references. Covey’s phrase about making deposits left a lasting impression on me. It is a good one! Thank you, Edward.
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Michele, thank you for reading and valuable feedback.
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Thank you!
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Hello blogger, I enjoyed reading your post. I subscribed. See you often. Have a happy and bright day. ^^*
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Thank you for reading and glad that you like the content of my blog.
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