Say I Love You

The Importance of Saying "I Love You" ~

How many times have you walked away from a situation saying to yourself: 

"I SHOULD have said________"

Well, that is the one thing you DON'T want to have in your mind and heart after someone you love has passed away. You can live the rest of your life with regret. Think of all of the people in your life who you love. It's not just a spouse, but oftentimes a dear friend. It's been said that there are many different kinds of love. 

This is a wonderful poem by George Eliot (a woman writer who had to use a man's pseudonym to get published) about the love of a friend.

Writing I Love You Is Easier than Speaking

If you are a person who has trouble uttering the words, "I Love You", then write them. Write about your feelings, and how it may be hard for you to say them out loud. It can be a very freeing experience for you. And those words, on paper last a long time. Calligraphy is a beautiful way to immortalize those feelings by giving them to the person you love. 

A Teacher Changes Lives by Encouraging Words of Kindness

Inspired by this story below, I had an idea that I have that could be a terrific calligraphy gift would be to have your words written in calligraphy, and then scanned, and reduced to the size of a credit card. That can be laminated, and carried in a wallet. Your loved one can carry YOUR heartfelt feelings with them always!

This is one of the most beautiful and moving stories. I will be surprised if you don't tear up after reading this short story about how fellow students words had a lasting impact.

One day, a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.

Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.  It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.

That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.

On Monday she gave each student his or her list.

Before long, the entire class was smiling. "Really?" she heard whispered. "I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!" and, "I didn't know others liked me so much," were most of the comments.

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. The teacher never found out if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.

Several years later, one of the students was killed in Vietnam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student.  She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature. The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin.

As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. "Were you Mark's math teacher?" he asked. She nodded: "Yes." Then he said: "Mark talked about you a lot."

After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were also there, wanting to speak with his teacher.

"We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket. "They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it."

Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him.

"Thank you so much for doing that," Mark's mother said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it."

All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home."  Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album." "I have mine too," Marilyn said. "It's in my diary"

Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this with me at all times," Vicki said.  Without batting an eyelash, she continued, "I think we all saved our lists."

Tears rolled down the eyes of the humble teacher.  We encounter so many people in our lives, and it's a precious joy to see the good in all those journeys.

Also, CafePress and other stores can take your sentiment, my calligraphy, and print it on a coffee cup, a mouse pad, reusable shopping bags, and tons of other items. Get creative! Don't keep those words silent in your head. Share them, and feel good! 

Expressing love and gratitude is YOUR path to attracting it back to you. Increase the love by sending it out with your words.... and having them personalized with your photos and written in calligraphy makes them even more special. Contact me to get started!