Life is a SHOW ME.

Don't tell me, show me.

I have said this for SO LONG, that it is really part of my life mantra.

Life is a 'show me'. Wait, what does that mean? If someone tells you that they love you, and ignores you, or demeans you, or doesn't help with anything, the words are meaningless. If someone does something for you without asking, something thoughtful, or small, or trivial, but kind, that is a 'show me'. That is a clear demonstration of their love for you.

My BF isn't big on verbal demonstrations of love. He is big on 'show me's'. He has mowed my lawn, when I have been in the hospital, and a million other times, he has washed my car when I wasn't home, he has done a MILLION things, that showed me in so many ways what I meant to him. He takes me to my favorite restaurant, just because he knows I love this one thing there. I wouldn't buy it because it is expensive, but he scoffs, and smiles and says, you are worth it. Get it. And, now I always do, and I enjoy it, but I enjoy him so much more. That is why when he does say something, it means so much to me, because I know he means it, because he has shown me over and over that he does.

I raised my darling Daughter with this 'show me' attitude. If she screwed up, we would talk about it (if you ask her, I am FAMOUS for my lectures about behavior, and everything else), and would tell her that next time, I wanted her to show me she had learned, and wouldn't do it again. As she got older, she understood that more and more. She has done so many kind, unasked for things for me since she has moved home, that were all 'show me's', and I have been touched by every single one. I have done things for her so many times, and even though I tell her I love her all the time, she KNOWS I do.

Friends are the same. Show them you care. Do something unexpected to let them know how much they mean to you. This shouldn't really a monetary thing, it should be a personal gesture of love. Drop off dinner, bring some flowers from your garden, go pick weeds for someone who has trouble gardening. There are a million nice things you can do. Every one will fill up YOUR heart.

My Dad is awesome, but has never been one to tell us we have done well. We know we have done something right when he doesn't say anything. When I was at their house for Christmas, I fixed (re-upholstered) parts of three chairs for my Mom, consulting with her on different fabrics, and making sure they were just what she wanted. A 'show me' for Mom that lasted, because she still talks to me about how much she loves those repaired chairs. Dad, in his typical fashion, looked at one I had fixed and said, hey, I think you need to look at my chair. He sits in a particular chair to read every afternoon, and moves it around as the sun sets. By asking me to look at his chair, he was telling me how much he liked the other jobs I had done, and I fixed his chair too. He sat down in it, and said, fine. I smiled at him, and said, you mean, thanks, honey, this is awesome. He smiled back at me and said, OK. We both laughed.

He has been the most magnificent Dad, with so many 'show me's' that I couldn't even count them. When my DD was a senior in High School, I got a letter from him telling me that he and Mom were paying for her college. I had just filled out all the applications for the student loans with her, and my stomach hurt, how much it was going to put us in debt. He paid for ALL OF IT. He did it without complaint, and with a great deal of love. He made sure she had enough money to get by, but not too much, and she obviously graduated with no debt. They even flew out for her graduation, which was awesome. They ask about her all the time, and I know how much they love her and care. They have shown me over and over how much we mean to them.

There are so many 'show me's' you can do every single day. Let someone get in front of you in a line with a little, squirming kid. Give the guy who is searching for that last nickel at the store enough to pay for his gas. Stop and say hi to your neighbors. Never go by a lemonade stand without buying a cup. Hug more. The more show me's you give, the more you get back.

I know there isn't one person in my life that doesn't know I love them, not because I told them, but because I showed them. Show someone today. It will make YOUR day.

Spark on.