By Dr. Jimmy Braswell
Chaplain, Home Hospice of Odessa
February is commonly known as love month since Valentine’s Day falls on the 14th. Love and its meaning is a constant pursuit – love songs and poems continue to be written and books target the meaning of love.
In the summers of my high school years, I would go to my grandfather’s house for a couple of weeks and paint his house. He paid me $15 for the two weeks and I was satisfied – I really needed the money.
The evenings after supper were spent sitting on his porch and watching the sunset. I had the wonderful opportunity to explore his philosophy and simple ways of thinking I asked one night – “Grandpa, how will I know when I am in love?” – He sat back, crossed his legs – puffed on his cigarette and finally said, “you’ll know.” I wasn’t satisfied with his answer, but I did come “to know.”
Here is a philosophy I’ve appreciated through the years by Newell Edsen. The hallmarks of true love are: 1) a genuine interest in the other person in all they say or do; 2) common tastes, ideas, and standard with no serious clashes; 3) a greater happiness in being with this person than any other; 4) a real unhappiness when that person is absent; 5) a great feeling of comradeship; 6) a willingness to give and take; and 7) a pride in the other person’s achievements. Whether these feelings are for another person, a place, an organization, or the Lord Jesus himself – you can know you are in love.
