The weight of words; or can you say “I love you” too much?

I was watching a movie with my 4-year-old when I leaned in to her hair and said “I love you.” She whispered back “I love you too.” There was no reason for it; I was enjoying the time with my daughter and wanted her to know. That made me think. Did my family say it too much? Some people believe that love is such a strong word that it should be reserved. Others believe that if you love someone, you should tell them often. 

I believe both. 

You see, I don’t just tell anyone that I love them. You have to be pretty fucking special for me to tell you I love you. It wasn’t always that way. I believe that’s before I really knew what love was to me. I reserve the word love for my people. 

When I believe that you are worthy of that love, I will tell you every hour of every day. Someone in my family will pass another by and say “I love you” at any particular moment of any day. Some may think it’s weird. A very special friend once told me that “words mean things.”  The word love means happiness, security, faith, hope, honesty, sincerity, and so many other little things that I can’t even begin to explain. The word love means a lot, so we show it a lot. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.