I’m sure many of you have read this excerpt before, but every time I read it, it gives me hope.  I am overwhelmed with these brilliant answers from ones so young.

Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia, otherwise known as “Dr. Love”, asked a group of 4 -8 years old the question “What does love mean?”  Here are some of their deep and heartfelt answers.

“When my grandma got arthritis and couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore.  So my grandpa does it for her all the time, even when he got arthritis in his hands.  Now that’s love”.  Rebecca – age 8

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.  You just know your name is safe in their mouth”.  Billy – age 4

“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas when you stop opening presents and just listen”.  Bobby – age 7

“If you want to learn to love better, you start with a friend that you hate”.  Nikka – age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka’s on this planet)

“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt and then he wears it every day”. Noelle – age 7

“Love is when your puppy licks your face, even when you left him alone all day”.  Mary Ann – age 4

“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you” unless you mean it, but if you mean it, you should say it a lot.  People forget”.  Jessica – age 8

“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you”.  Karen – age 7

And finally…

Leo Buscaglia talked 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 crying, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, crawled up on his lap and just sat there.

When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, “Nothing, I just helped him cry”.

All of these answers are golden and we know they are certainly genuine. These young children observe the world around them and see the best in others and that is how they define love. If we as adults were able to do the same thing, we would all be better for it. 

These children are a reflection of our loving God.  We often say, “Out of the mouths of babes” and these words are surely evidence of the truth of that statement.  God sees the best in us and loves us unconditionally even when we undoubtedly don’t deserve it. That’s what love means!

Patty