Happy Valentines Day! Over the past few weeks of this third national lockdown I’ve been making this Love Heart cross stitch cushion made from tapestry wool by Crafteratti for my daughter. It poses the a question Love is….? Since it’s Valentine’s Day I thought it would be appropriate to share a few thoughts and reflections on my blog and what it means to love and the ideals of ‘eco’.
Valentines day dates back to the Roman times and Saint Valentine where soldiers could only marry in secret if they could prove that they were in love. It was against the law at the time for them to marry as it was thought it was a sign of weakness or distraction. I think that to love is actually the opposite and is a sign of strength and courage as to love involves sacrifice and thinking of others before ourselves. My thoughts on reflection of this are from a well known bible verse and one which was read out at our wedding nearly 14 years ago.
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. Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 14 4-8
We have this verse in a frame on our cloakroom at home, especially as this is a place I go to hide sometimes when it’s all getting a bit much and I don’t have much patience with kids or feeling generally overwhelmed! I start to feel sorry for myself and then have to pull myself together and be the love example everyone needs in that moment and even apologise sometimes for not showing kindness people deserve. If you would find these verses helpful too then you can purchase prints from The Granary Creative, supporting a local Christian business enterprise with lovely graphics. They do quality cards too with other encouraging Bible verses.
Love is Patient and Kind. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if people paused and considered if it was a kind thing to do? Are we being kind to our planet? The word ‘eco‘ I think could be replaced for ‘kindness‘ as it is about being considerate to the environment that serves us so well with being the habitat that we live and breathe. Love is patient and is something that takes time. This is blog number 60 and I have a lot of ideas and some of them need time to grow and develop and at times I’ve had to preserve and keep going.
On my refection of actually showing love, I have also come to see that love is... a choice. We can decide what to do with our words and thoughts, our actions and chose to forgive. Love perseveres through the hard times as well as rejoices in the good! We can make choices to show love or store up the bitterness and resentment that might well feel justified. Every day we need to choose to love, choose to be kind and the other things in this challenging verse that will make us a kinder, more loving person able to see the good in others.
When looking for a Valentine’s Day card this year, I came across this super cute card with the words ‘Let love grow’! . The heart is detachable, made from eco seed paper which can be planted afterwards and grows into beautiful flowers. It would make a lovely wedding favor or I’ve used the idea before to make an eco gift tags. When planting seeds is not an instant result, it takes time and care, watering, patience and kindness.
Show the world around us love with kindness, patience, perseverance and make it a choice. Don’t give up and something beautiful might grow.
Little Eco Gifts 
One thought on “Love is……”