What is Love From The Mouths Of Babes
BY JACK LEVINE
Wishing you and your loved ones well. As Valentine’s Day approaches, I’m pleased to share this heartfelt message with you. Your response is welcomed atjack@4gen.org.
Let’s continue to protect ourselves and our loved ones from exposure to the COVID-19 virus. Follow CDC guidelines for masking, limiting group interactions, and agreeing to be vaccinated when availability allows are preventive steps to reduce risk and save lives.
As busy as we are, let’s never be too busy to make time to enjoy the connection with someone we love. And despite being our serious selves most of the time, sometimes it helps to evoke a smile…and get just a bit silly!
Victor Borge, the famed comedic piano virtuoso, said it best: “Laughter is the closest distance between two people.”
In that light, a group of 4 to 10 year-olds was asked, “What does love mean?” Here’s a selection of their wise and wonderful replies…from the mouths of babes!
“When my grandma got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandpa does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.” (Rebecca – age 8)
“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.” (Billy – age 7)
“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.” (Karl – age 5)
“Love is sharing even if you think you don’t have enough.” (Chrissie – age 6)
“Love is like medicine, and hate is like poison. If everybody knew that, we’d all be happy.” (Keisha – age 8)
“Love is what makes you smile when you’re too tired to think.” (Terri – age 9)
“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.” (Danny – age 7)
“Love is the quiet sound in the room when the people you care about are all together.” (Luis – age 10)
“Love is believing that God understands that my prayers are my way of helping others…not just myself.” (Carolina, age 8)
“When you love somebody, it doesn’t matter if they’re gone for a little while or forever. You still find a way to love them.” (Karen – age 7)
“My mommy said they adopted me because they wanted one more way to grow love in our family. She said I grew in her heart, not in her belly.” (Hector – age 9)
“Love is when you tell a boy you like his shirt, and then he wears it everyday.” (Noelle – age 7)
“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other much too well.” (Tommy – age 8)
“During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and I saw my daddy waving and smiling. I wasn’t scared anymore. Love does that.” (Cindy – age 8)
“My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night, do you?” (LaShonda – age 6)
“Love is when Daddy looks at me and calls me his little flower that’s always in bloom. You get the picture.” (Elaine – age 9)
“Love is when Mommy sees a picture of my family on the wall and stops to look a little extra long look at it.” (Chris – age 7)
“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.” (Mary Ann – age 5)
“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People might forget.” (Jessica – age 8)
And the final one to warm anybody’s heart:
Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia related this memento about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four-year-old child whose next-door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry one cloudy morning, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, “Nothing, really. I just sat by him and helped him cry.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR – JACK LEVINE
If you would like to receive a copy of the Family History Guide please send a note to jack@4gen.org with Family History Guide in the subject line. I will be pleased to send it to you with my compliments.
Jack Levine with his wife, Charlotte, and their first grandchild
My best.
Jack Levine
Founder 4Generations Institute
Director, GRAND Partners
