“The best use of life is love.
The best expression of love is time.
The best time to love is now.”
―Rick Warren
***
Wow, y’all.
Your comments on Monday’s post (What Love Looks Like) were so powerful to read! Thank you so much for taking the time to contribute to that conversation. 🙂
There are still several I want to respond to, so while I do that, I thought I’d share some of the #WhatLoveLooksLike photos folks posted on Instagram on Monday. I started the photo challenge with an invite…
…and these are some of the beautiful photos that popped up throughout the day:
I added a couple to the hashtag, too…
…and I actually went back and did some editing on my first What Love Looks Like blog post, because I realized that I hadn’t actually pinpointed exactly what Love looked like in each of the photos I included in it. I even notice that I didn’t get it quite right in the Instagram photo above. Love doesn’t look like the leaves…it looks like the effort behind them. It’s in the mental note my Mom made when I mentioned that “I’ve been feeling ‘plant-y’ lately” in a previous post. It’s in the time she took to carefully pack them up so they would make it from her house to mine in the mail. It doesn’t look like the gift…it looks like the giving of it. It looks like Sacrifice.
Thanks for allowing me to think through that with, y’all. And again, thank you for sharing your hearts with me here. You make it such an inspiring place for me to e-be! 🙂
PS- Thank you for the plant, Mom! XO
I love this, Layla! All of the instagram posts are amazing.
Especially the one about the twins! So exciting for them!
Sarah
Thanks for including my instagram pic! The great thing about July 4th was that it was extended family and my married kids and spouses. When your kids leave home there is such a hole, but God eventually fills it with good things. Love looks like embracing those moments to be together. Thanks for inspiring me!
Such a wonderful idea, and so inspiring! I’ll get busy and see what I can come up with, although now that I look around, a faithful beagle napping at my feet is looking a lot like (puppy) love!
Thank you for including my image! All of these photos are beautiful.
Although heartbreaking, the sadness in my grandfather’s eyes truly showed the love he had for my grandmother. He took care of her for years, his life revolved around her.
Together 57 years, they always managed to make each other laugh, make each other smile. To me, they are the epitome of what love looks like. Here they are on her last birthday, being the adorable couple that they were.
http://instagram.com/p/Wp4R4XnHaQ/
Both of your photos are amazing. Just that small act of sharing a piece of your life makes me want to work even harder to guarantee a marriage that lasts that long, with that much love. ‘Tis a beautiful thing. Thank you.
Allison ~ Thank you for posting the link to the birthday picture. Beautiful! It made me cry … but in a good way. Yes, that’s what love looks like. It made me miss my mom – but thankful for good memories. It made me thankful for my hubby of almost 48 years now. We appreciate the love we have for each other – and say it often.
I love the happiness and tenderness that the birthday picture holds. I’m sure you were a gift to your grandparents – perhaps more than you’ll ever know.
I had gone back to read more comments last night and noticed the changes you had made to the photos captions. I SO loved what you sparked. Don’t you just wish we could ALL remember this kind of stuff everyday? What a wonderful world it would be. 🙂 Noting TRFONT’s pic and caption–it will happen in due time. God has a plan and better than you can imagine. Take it from one who knows. 🙂 I appreciate the acknowledgement of clothes to fold, AC, legos….so true! Just yesterday while checking out at a dept. store the sales lady and I exchanged “how are you’s?” I responded “Pretty good today thank you, how are you?” (I was so thankful I was not in bed with a migraine that day, as I had been the day before!) Her response regarded God, her having a job, and food. Amen. That is LOVE. Having the knowledge to understand His gifts–gifts that are small yet so great.
i have photo or more about what love looks like. thanks for your blog. you guys are truly inspiring.
Your first post and this one with everyone’s insta-pics are just so amazingly powerful. I rarely comment because written words just don’t come easy for me. I am very blessed that I have the opportunity to read blogs such as yours. You and Kev really touch places in my heart and many times just make me stop, think and appreciate all that I have. So thank you for all that you do to bring us a little piece of love.
Now I’m a weepy mess.
You do that to me sometimes, Layla. In a good way.
Wow! Pictures of Gods love everywhere! That really encouraged me to see His hand at work all over the country in all sorts of ways, love overflowing from hearts that are filled with His love. Cool.
Those photos were amazing and gave me all kinds of chills and throat lumps. I’m not on Instagram, so thank you so much for sharing them here. Awesome.
reading through the first what love looks like post and comments and now the photos in this one has me welling up with tears.
I am at a place that I find I dont really have a good friend, kids are growing up and the person I thought God said I would marry is marrying someone else.
A lot of soul searching and asking God what changes He wants in my life…
As for what love looks like for me now: my 12 and 14 year old daughters making me soup today when I didnt feel well, my 19 year old daughter running up to me at youth group and hugging me big and my son confiding his feelings to me even at 18 years old.
Yesterday I spent the day with my 23 year old daughter who is carrying my first grandbaby…I cant wait to hold her….and it was surreal talking to my baby about mama related things. <3