Deliberately

Out there, people love you.
Some you know. Some you know less.
Some tell you. Most don’t,
which means you may or may not know
those who do from those who don’t.

You may feel alone. I know I do.
Often. But never doubt you are loved.
Never stop telling others,
for the more we hear it, the more we feel it,
the more we return it.
It is a cycle we can start

and live and use in our every day lives,
to make them more. To make ourselves more.
Love opens doors. Love lifts.
Love heals. Love is more powerful
than we give it credit for,
If, and only if, we put it to work
deliberately.

About this poem.

I was thinking of my father this morning. He never told me he loved me until I was in my fifties, when I began telling him and hugging him before leaving for home. It was awkward for him at first . I mean really, really awkward, but it became less so, to the point where he began to reach out for hugs and would tell me he loved me without prompting.

That taught me a lesson. Too often we wait for others to tell us we are loved. To hell with that. Now I share my appreciation and love for people like a profligate Santa Claus. And yes, it changes people. If we do it.

Love is far more powerful than we give it credit for.

The picture was taken at the Hancock Shaker Village in the Berkshires of Massachusetts.

Tom