Friday, January 1, 2016

New Year, Old Post

A few years ago I participated in a meme that Chuck sent my way.  I passed it on to several blogger friends.  It came back around when Bob and Jan of Little Green Truck fame mentioned it on their facebook page.  They reposted their ten loves.  It seemed appropriate at the beginning of a new year to review the things I claim to love.  I went back to the old post and copied it over here.  I had to tweak the age, but otherwise, it is still the same!

Ten Things I Love
1. I love the Lord Jesus Christ who is my savior.
2. I love my wife whom you have met as "BBBH".
3. I love my family which has become so large and so widely extended that it is a challenge as I age to remember all their names. 
4. I love being 81 years old. It's sort of a testimony to perseverance  Next up, 82! and who knows how far one can go from there!
5. I love the community in which we live. It is not "Perfect" though I have referred to it that way on the blog; but it is the best place in which I've ever lived, and that's saying something.
6. For the most part, I love blogging, both writing my own and reading others. I have tried to quit, really I have; but BBBH says I'm addicted. There are worse addictions.
7. I love political cartoons and comic strips and their creators. I don't read them all, just half-dozen of the former and dozen of the latter. I love to laugh; and laughing at the nonsense of politicians and the foibles of our fellow-man keeps us from going nuts.
8. I love Coffee.
9. I love Texas. Admittedly I have never been there between May and September. But, subtext 9a. I love the ocean and 9b. I love the desert. Texas has plenty of both.
10. I love living green things. This was my answer to the question, "Why did you ever choose to move to Indiana?"

What do you love?


HAPPY NEW YEAR!

An update for 2016.  About the time this was originally posted I got to thinking about the cavalier and blase way in which we use the word "love."  Many languages utilize different words to express different levels or different facets of love.  But for us it has become a catchall, most often actually expressing what we should more accurately call "like."  I mean, for me to say "I love my wife" is scarcely comparable to saying "I love coffee."  Though both are true in some sense I assure you the word does not mean the same thing in the two expressions.

Therefore I have made a conscious effort to use the term "like" when I mean like and to thereby impute a more reverent meaning to the word "love" when I use that.  You don't have to follow my lead on this, but think about it. 

8 comments:

Lin said...

We live in a world of extremes and I, too, am guilty of using "love" and "hate" too much when I really mean "like" and "dislike." That said, I liked how you used the word "love" in your original post. It makes you appear really happy in your life and surroundings. Is that so bad? Nope. I hope to use the word "love" more this year. 2015 was sort of a negative year for me, so I hope to fill it with "I LOVE" a whole lot more.

Happy New Year, dear friend.

Secondary Roads said...

I've been reading Nourishing the Seed by Bob and Eric Mumford. It starts by talking about love and has an excellent discussion on the topic.

Do you find the substitution of "need" for "want" discomfiting?

vanilla said...

Chuck, I shall have to get a copy of the book.

I often hear BBBH say,"If I want it I need it." No comment.

vanilla said...

Lin, for ones life to be filled with love is a good thing! May you be so blessed throughout 2016.

kc bob said...

So true. I like, even really like, many things, but, in comparison, I love just a few.

vanilla said...

KCBob, love the Lord, love your spouse, love your neighbor as yourself. It is okay to really like lots of things! Blessings.

Grace said...

We had this discussion via comments on my blog sometime back. In the post I said that I was careful about using "love" instead of like but had changed my mind. I say throw caution to the wind - love those things and people that bring you more than a little pleasure. Love that coffee! Are there levels of intensity - sure. Some is just like but some is more than just like - call it love. Do I love Frangelli's jelly donuts more than I love my husband - okay, bad example 'cause I really l-o-v-e Frangelii's jelly donuts. But if it gives you great pleasure, then love it!

vanilla said...

Grace, it is possible that I overthink some things. More laid back, more love, less nitpicking. Might be a good prescription. I'm so conflicted!