Teach Me How to Love

I got the name of this post from a song that came on while I was working, [teaching myself how to set up a blog, and yes this is my first post!!!] Anyways, I love Musiq(Soulchild) and his song, “TeachMe (How to Love)” came on at Busboys and Poets in the midst of me working. And then it dawned on me that so many of us have never been shown how to truly love.

How amazingly sad this thought was and thus, prompted me to start this particular post. So I ask, “how does one teach one to love?” Do we teach others to love through actions, words, or touch? Or, do we teach people to love by keeping our promises and telling the truth. Perhaps we teach one to love through forgiveness and patience.

The more I think about how to teach someone to love; I have to go back to what I use as the definition for love. This definition, in my opinion, is the archetype and foundation for pure, untarnished love and can be applied to any relationship type:

• Marriages,
• Friendships,
• Familial bonds, and
• Even with strangers!

I believe that love is less of an emotion and more of an action because anyone can feel love for another person. However to show love requires one to go beyond their feelings and engage in action. I believe love does the following:

• Offers patience even when it seems the person does not deserve it and keeps one’s temper at bay
• Exhibits kindness and gentleness, especially in difficult times or periods of stress
• Shields others from pain and does what it can to protects the interests and even dreams of the one they love
• Seeks truth in all matters, even it if means being on the receiving end of a critique
• Trusts by giving others the benefit of the doubt and does not unjustly accuse people
• Displays humility, which is letting go of your pride and mastering the art of not saying, “I told you so”
• Gives freely without seeking repayment
• Endures hardship, financial and health issues, family issues, death, and all the other unpleasant things that we experience at times in life

I would love (no pun intended) to hear your thoughts! How have you taught others to love?