A Touch of Encouragement

Love is everywhere, every day! Love comes from our Heavenly Father! Love is the healing that happens when you're sick. It is the moment of my handicapped daughter saying, "Mom, you sick? And, then she tries her very best to help me in whatever way she can." Love is a smile you give to someone who is depressed. You listen to their problems and still smile and they in turn will instantly feel better and smile back. Love spreads from person to person if only they will spread it around. Love is knowing that every day will be a good day as long as God is there with you. Love is for all who believe and have faith. Love makes you feel good inside and out. Love turns anger around. Love is for all of us!

Love is when your super gentle horse which never takes up for himself in the pasture, sees another horse intending to bite you, pushes you aside taking the bite himself, and then takes a chunk out of the mare who intended you harm.

Love is when my grandaughter says "Grandma come sit with me" while she's watching her Little Einstien video and gives me kisses in my arms and says "I love you, Grandma!"

Love is when your hubby calls your Name it sounds like music to your ears.

love is my son leaving work to take me to my doctors appointment

LOVE is learning things in LIFE, forgiveness, sympathy, teaching, giving, sharing, memories, discipline, faith by determination, life's struggles, time with family and friends.
When we're young we don't realize these things but in time we do if we are just patient it will come with wisdom in knowledge and experience.
TIME

Love is looking into the eyes of a 97 year old mother and seeing gratefulness for anything you do for her.
Love is hearing her tell me every night as I tuck her in, that she love's me, and I am her angel....
Love is having patience while you repeat things many times to a very forgetful 92 year old aunt who also lives with us.
Love is doing all this in the name of Jesus, who has commanded us to care for others.
Love is a husband who goes along with you on mothers doctor visits, just to help get the wheelchair out of the car for you.
Love is the husband who supports you in all you do in your caregiving role, even if it means a little less attention for him sometimes.
This love is given because God helps us everyday... God's love is the reason it can happen.

Hi Martha,

LOVE is what my mother did for all of us at all times even though she had to work so hard not only at her job but taking care of my father 24/7 and she never said she was to busy to talk to us especially when we were upset about things.

When we came home from school and she was taking care of my father and we would say hi and she would ask how our day was and we needed to talk to her about our day and no matter how long we would speak she never said she was to busy.

When we grew up and needed money she never said no she had a change purse we go to and bring it to her and she always seemed to have the money we needed even though she didn't have enough to pay her bills she never ever told us NO and some of my sisters took full advantage of that but she loved us so much she never ever told us NO that to me is love you just can't find today it has gone by the wayside.

Her love went so deeply for all of us she forgot about herself she was always there for us and always had time for us no matter how she felt she was such a wonderful wonderful person I will always love her and miss her.

~~~~ Love is more than the sum of the
interests, attractions, good deeds,
kindness, thoughtful behavior and
commonalities people share. And,
just like life itself is a gift
that comes and goes in its time,
the coming of love must be taken
as an unfathomable gift that can't
be questioned in its ways. Love is
a gift freely given or else it is
not love, at all.

Love chooses you. You choose to love,
in return. Love has its own time, its
own season and its own reasons for
coming and going. You cannot bribe or
coerce it or reason it into staying.
If you do, then you are not loving.
If it chooses to leave, there is
noting you can do and nothing you
should do. Be grateful is was, for
love simply "is." If your heat is
open, it will surely come again.

Love is God's first and last answer
to the universe, for God IS love and
love IS God - it's circuitous. We are
here on earth to learn the lessons in
love and show Love.............Amen!

(=^_^=)

LOVE IS WHEN YOU LIGHT A CANDLE CAUSE YOUR MOTHER ASKED YOU TOO! LOVE IS WAITING TO HEAR FROM YOUR SON WHO IS MOVING FROM ONE COUNTRY TO ANOTHER WITH HIS FAMILY PATIENTLY AND FORGIVINGLY!LOVE IS ACCEPTING YOUR HUBBY GOING TO BED,WHEN YOU WANT HIM TO SIT UP AND TALK.LOVE IS ACCEPTING ALL THE DIFFERENT DIFFERENCES THAT YOU ARE JUST EXPECTED TO DEAL WITH BY YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS WITH PATIENCE WHEN YOU FEEL TO ARGUE AND COMPLAIN! LOVE IS TALKING WITH A FRIEND PATIENTLY AND KIND WHEN THERE IS DINNER BEING SERVED IN THE DININGROOM AND YOURS IS WAITING!LOVE IS CRYING "OUCH!" QUIETLY WHEN YOUR FINGERS ARE BEING SMASHED UNDER A WHEEL CHAIR BY YOUR OWN BIG DADDY AND YOUR GRANDPA IS SITTING IN THE WHEEL CHAIR AND YOU FORGIVE WONDERING"NOW WHY DID HE DO THAT!" BY THE WAY,GRANDMA ,WHO IS WATCHING GASPING FOR BREATH SEEING THIS HAPPEN, CRIED OUT,"SON!YOU WHEELED MIKE'S WHEELCHAIR ON YOUR SON'S FINGERS!LOOK AND SEE!"HE LOOKS TO SEE IN HORROR,GRANDMA IS RIGHT!HIS SON'S FINGERS ARE UNDER THE TIRES OF THE WHEELCHAIR HIS GRANDPA IS SITTING IN.!YOUR SON MUST WHEEL OFF THE FINGERS VERY GENTLY WHILE HIS SON GRIMACES IN PAIN! YOUR SON SAYS HE IS MOST SORRY!WE ALL GET SOME COLD ICE WATER AND HAVE HIS SON PUT THE FINGERS IN THE ICE WATER.IN 3-5MIN HE PULLED THEM OUT AND THEY WERE FINE,ALONG WITH EVERYBODY PRAYING IN HOPE HE WOULD BE OK! HE ENJOYED A GREAT BREAKFAST-LUNCH SPECIAL AT THE RESTAURANT WE WENT TO THAT WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO ANYHOW!SMILE!BECAUSE EVERYBODY FORGAVE EVERYBODY,THE FINGERS HEALED AND HE HAD NO MORE PROBLEMS FOR THE TIME BEING!LOVE WON !SMILE!

Love is when your 3 year old grandchild tells you that its ok if you have molee molees your still beautiful cause God is love and he loves us all. she is talking about moles on the skin. Have taught her how to pray she knows about Jesus and how awesome he is. No matter how we look God Loves us so much like a circle it never ends.

Love is a gift, that brings both joy, and pain it is unending, and unconditional, it should be given freely each time it is given and knowing the source of true love is found in Jesus and the love he freely gives to anyone who trust in who He is the Son of God . I am so glad we are all loved to that extent.Love In Jesus Love! Cindy

Say "Love" and a memory of my father easily
appears. I won a chance to play in a junior
baseball world series in New Mexico--across
5 states, 1,300+ miles. Registration, equip-
ment, refreshments, gas had already been my
father's contribution...all on money he had
had to gather as we had none. With three of
us playing, he'd sacrificed all he had for
our summer of fun. With nothing left, he had
to find a way to get me there. Surely he did.
I don't know what we used to spend a week a-
way, but I do know how important it was for
me to have this opportunity. So he went to
the bus company--with no money--and shared
how he hoped to get us there. Somehow, his
explanation was enough; it merited us a ride
for free. Going 2 days there, 2 coming back
we rode where he'd figured out we could: on
two steps leading down to the back bus door.
We went...thanks to his unconditional love.

Love is when our father in heaven helped me to get sober and stay sober since decemeber 20 1988 until now July 16 2009. and by the grace of God lm so very grateful thank him everyday. and for people like you Martha, thank you. Pamela s. Davis

Love is when I realized that God gave His only son to die on the cross for my sins. Love is when I accepted Him as my personal savior and LORD... Love is when I met my husband JOEL and spend every moment with Him. Love is when I gave birth to the most wonderful children Ashley and Josh who always makes me smile whenever I wake up in the morning and see them besides me.... Love is giving me hope that whatever difficulties that comes my way, there is someone in heaven waiting for my call and ready to help me and preparing home for me and I will be with HIM to spend eternal in heaven.

Love is when you ask your husband what you should do and his only reply is, "Littleone, do what ever makes you happy".

Linda Reinhardt

Love is my then-3-year-old grandson, Malachi, saying to me, "Nana, you and me are twins" (he didn't know the phrase "kindred spirits"). Some months later, I asked him if we were still twins and he said "Yes." I asked, "How did we get to be twins?" He replied, "I just decided." And now that he's 5, he tells me that no matter how old we are or how big we are, we will always be "twins."

Love is having two kitties greet you when you come home to an otherwise empty home. It is also the wordless hug when someone empathizes with you on the death of your husband. Love is quiet and patient; true love is unconditional. As the Beatles said: All you need is love.

Martha,

I tend towards Tabitha's response that is how I see love as well as I think she is saying unconditional love in which we all should have and Jesus wanted us to be that way. Children and animals love unconditionally or at least until the teenage years hit for children. I wish others such as family members, friends and spouses could as well have that unconditional love as children and animals.

Thank you Martha and God Bless you and your family
And may God bless all of you who have posted comments.

Leeann

Love is when my puppy kissed me even after I yelled at him for chewing up my purse.

In 1996 I started a new job in a place where I knew no one and a group of people that all seemed unfriendly and cliquish. About a year into the job my office was moved next to a woman who did not even look up or speak when she would pass you in the hall but when I got settled into my new office we began to talk one day and it turned into a long lasting friendship. Long after we both had left this job (10 years later) I went through some trials in my life and this friend was there in all the ways I needed her at the lowest time in my life. That is Love and from an unexpected person who once seemed unfriendly and unapproachable reached out and saved my life when I needed it most.

Love is when my husband won't go to a reception if I can't go.

Love is when my husband wants me at the opening night of his play, and then asks if he did okay as if my opinion were the only one that mattered.

I ask my four year old daughter, How do you know I love you? she replies because when I'm sad you give me a kiss and hug that's how I know!! It's amazing how such little shows of affection mean so much!

Love is caring more for others than you do yourself. Love is unconditional.

Love is having little children in your Sunday school class come up to you and ask for help with blowing bubbles or calling you Grandpa.