Love the Greatest Gift of All

We wanted to kick off our blog with Love. Famous people have been quoted on sayings about love, sung in songs, movies, books, and written about in all religions. The following are a few examples that show love can be found anywhere!

Martin Luther King said, “Love is the greatest force in the universe. It is the heartbeat of the moral cosmos. He who loves is a participant in the being of God.” 

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV): "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

William Shakespeare, All’s Well That Ends Well

“Love all, trust a few,

Do wrong to none: be able for thine enemy

Rather in power than use; and keep thy friend

Under thy own life's key: be check'd for silence,

But never tax'd for speech.”

Huey Lewis and News sang a song about the Power of Love

It don't take money and it don't take fame

Don't need no credit card to ride this train

Tougher than diamonds and stronger than steel

You won't feel nothin' till you feel

You feel the power

Just feel the power of love

That's the power

That's the power of love

You feel the power of love

You feel the power of love

Feel the power of love

Songwriters: Huey Lewis / John Victor Colla / Christopher John Hayes

The Power of Love lyrics © Wb Music Corp., Huey Lewis Music, Cause And Effect Music, Kinda Blue Music, Pw 3 Ascap Songs

The book genre love stories generate around $1.44 billion in revenue annually (AI Overview, retrieved 7.21.24).

Love is a simple four-letter word that can powerfully impact an individual and community. It begins by nurturing self-love, allowing individuals to recognize their worth and care for their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Self-love starts with how we talk to ourselves. It is estimated that we talk to ourselves about 12,000 to 60,000 times a day, and 80% of that self-talk is negative and carried over from the previous day (Chap gave me Frontiers or Oxford Academic; I had National Science Foundation). Self-talk can be verbal, meaning what we say aloud or in our thoughts, and non-verbal, such as in a smile, frown, or any other non-verbal action (Chroni, 1997). The good news is that we can change our self-talk and provide positive affirmations and love about who and what we are to ourselves. James Allen, the author of As a Man Thinketh, said, “A man is literally what he thinks” (Allen, 1903).

The first thing to do is to change your inner self-talk from negative to positive. You cannot achieve peace, self-love, and happiness if you are constantly down on yourself.

Self-Talk to Promote Self-Love

1. Start your day with a positive affirmation about you and how your day will go. If you need help with this, put a sticky note on your bathroom mirror to read aloud as you brush your teeth or by your coffee pot. 

2. Every time you start having a negative thought or a negative non-verbal gesture, change it immediately to a positive one. We all have room for improvement, but we tend to be our worst critics. You can go from, “I am never going to get all my work done today; there is so much to do” to “I am going to stay focused today and accomplish as much as possible on my to-do list.”

3. Terry Savelle Foy noted in one of her YouTube talks that you should end your sentence with “and that’s just the way I want it.” If you don’t like how that sounds, then change it. Believe in what you are saying about yourself. 

We can’t control what others say, but can control what we say to ourselves!

As you nurture your self-love, we must love our neighbors, fostering a sense of community and empathy where all feel valued and respected. This can include the person or family next door or someone you meet halfway around the world. Appreciating diversity and showing kindness and love for all humans ties us together and leads to a positive, fulfilling life. 

Love Your Neighbor

1. Tell someone you love them or appreciate who they are. We often don’t say it enough or expect the other person to know how we feel. Don’t assume they know; say it out loud, give them a hug or a pat on the back. 

2. We all know the saying Pay it forward. It can be a small gesture or something more grandiose, but any act done with love can create a ripple that will have far-reaching, lasting effects. 

3. Being able to forgive is critical in loving ourselves and others. Forgiveness is an act of love, and when done, it allows the body, mind, and spirit to let go of wasted time and energy that can be better spent on more positive initiatives. 

We would like to leave you with a great song about love. It is written and sung by Sandi Patty, Love In Any Language. Below are two links, one to Sandi Patty singing the song and the other to Georgia, who beautifully signs the song while being sung by Ms. Patty. Love is in every language, and all humans need love, so don’t forget to start your day with a positive, loving statement about yourself and pass on that love to someone you meet today.