09:18

“A Story to Tell”

One of Mark Twain's stories tells of an artist, George Sterling, who finds most of humanity - other than himself - rather uninteresting. Self-absorbed in his own career and interests, he takes little notice of the people around him. But then George starts painting portraits of the very people he considers dull and commonplace. As his subjects gradually open up to him, he learns their stories, gets to know them from the inside, and comes to the realization that “a [person's] experiences of life are a book. There [.....]

07:09

“Milestones on the Road of Life”


In 1753 the British government, with its heavy hand on the American colonies, put Benjamin Franklin in charge of the colonial postal system north of Maryland. Postage prices were assessed by the mile in those days, and Franklin’s fellow colonists were suspicious that the British were overcharging. Franklin determined to find out. He set out on the Boston Post Road, then known as the King’s Highway. Attached to his carriage was a homemade odometer that counted the rotations of the wheels. Every mile, a stake was driven [.....]

If you knew that this was your last day on earth - that tomorrow your life would end - what would you do today? Most people would probably not try to squeeze in one more day at the office or one last television program. More than likely, you would spend most of the day trying to reach the people who are dear to you, simply to say, one last time, "I love you."

Those three words "I love you" are perhaps the most important words in our language. Of course, they mean something only if they are backed up by authenticity and actions. But the words themselves are important too. So many people go through the day or week or even the year and rarely hear those three simple words. We all need to know that we are loved, that we matter to someone, that we have a place in another's heart. This is what gives us confidence to face the cold world; it is what makes us feel alive.

How many relationships could begin to heal with a sincere expression of love? How many broken hearts could start to mend? How many marriages or families could be strengthened by the intentional choice to say - both in deeds and in words - "I love you"?

Perhaps we think our loved ones surely must know how we feel about them. But they need to hear it. Flowery, poetic, or lengthy language is not necessary. Those three simple words are usually just enough.

Their power lies in their straightforward purity. "I love you" includes no caveats, no conditions, no limitations. It gives no explanation or justification. It simply declares to one heart what another heart feels.


When the end of our life does come, we may feel some regret about the things we didn't accomplish or the goals we didn't achieve, but we will never regret our expressions of genuine love. So why wait for our final day? Tell someone, "I love you" today.
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