LOVE and its infinite forms.

"Yes, love is all you need. But love takes many forms."

-SUSAN CAIN-

Most of my life, I have been naive to think that all people will show and feel love the same way. Sure, there is a love language test that does give indicator to what we prefer (you should take it), but it isn't the end all be all.After all, God IS love, so He certainly created an infinite number of ways to show it. Love can be shown in so many different ways, not just those summed up in five dimensions, and I see that I have failed to recognize that.

I adore words, particularly letters, probably a little too much. Written words, even if's it's just a sticky note, say to me "this person cared enough to pick up pen and paper and write it down." Written words are the only words I really absorb. However, it has become an issue that I have taken that to mean if a person doesn't write down that they love me, then they must not. How silly of me?

Our generation has lost the art of letter writing, so we typically only write people if they're spending a summer at a camp or in another country, or we write at the convenience of a person having a dry erase board outside their door, a quick "You rock" or "You are beautiful," which makes it really hard for those of us that do crave that form of interaction to really grasp what it means to feel loved. 

Now, my capacity to feel love is not too strong, as much as I wish it were. I am quick to be critical of myself and justify in my head why someone does or does not care much about me, whether or not they have used written words or not. It's something I have been thinking a lot about, and something I have begun to notice is this: love can be shown in ALL sorts of ways. 

Not everyone writes it out.
Not everyone is able or wants to spend time with a person all the time (introverts out there, yes).
Not everyone will do your dishes or fold your laundry.
Not everyone will hug you at first sight or rub your back to tell you that they're there.
Not everyone will always pay for your Chickfila, or give you a book for no particular reason.
Not everyone even voices it explicitly when they love someone at all because emotions are hard for some people.

Actually, sometimes love is hard to recognize, but it's almost always there. 

Sometimes it comes in the form of a telling jokes or out of laughter with another person.
Sometimes it's when someone sees you in the hallway and smiles- that isn't always just out of politeness, but maybe that their intuition told them you needed that smile.
Sometimes love is when someone sends you a message and talks about something they're struggling with, or maybe they accidentally unload some deep parts of their heart on you. This isn't always by accident but sometimes because they are really comfortable with you and admire your ability to listen.
Sometimes love comes in the form of tears because a person feels like they can be vulnerable with you. 

Sometimes love comes through writing a your favorite quote and sticking it on your friend's door because you want them to see it's beauty, too.

Sometimes love is when someone realizes that another person recognizes the deeper things in life, and finally understands them in a whole new way. 

Sometimes love is when a person stays up talking to you  and laughing over funny pictures until 2am, even when they have an early class the next day.
Sometimes love is offering up your space for another person that needs it for a little while. 

Sometimes love comes when a person who typically hates physical touch hugs you- think about it, if they hug you it must be because you mean a lot to them.
Sometimes love is knowing that someone thinks of you when they see your favorite thing on social media- keep in mind that they may not always tell you they were thinking about you, but they do. 

Sometimes love comes when someone asks you how you're doing. Could it be because they genuinely want to know?
Sometimes love is when someone sits down to pray and you are in their prayer journal [but you don't always know that]. 

I could go on for days because of how fresh this realization is of what how big of a concept love really is. I think love is whatever you want to make it. People all the time go through seasons of feeling like no one really understands or cares because they haven't done something. I know I am the world's worst that if someone doesn't reply to a text message or check on me after a big event in my life that they knew about or if they've never written me a letter or anything like that, it must mean that I am not important to them. I find it hard to accept love. However, I think I am seeing that love is displayed differently, and it doesn't always always have to be in public or even told to anyone. Sometimes it's so subtle, but that doesn't mean that no one cares. Perhaps we just have to learn to appreciate love in things that don't seem that way immediately. I encourage anyone out there struggling accept love or feel understood to take a step back- try to recognize the little things. You've probably got someone that is open and ready to love you, however they may show that. And I don't mean the "I love pizza" love either.

You are probably the reason that somewhere, someone isn't giving up, so don't give up on yourself so quickly.