By Kate Henshaw
L is for the way you look at me, O is for the only one I see, V is very, very extraordinary, E is even more than anyone that I adore and Love is all that I can give to you, Love is just for me and you, two in love can make it, take my heart but please don’t break it, Love was made for me and you. A song that I love goes that way and captures what true love is meant to exhibit.

The month of  love so to speak is here again but what happens when   February 14, ends in the evening, do those feelings suddenly disappear? Do we go back to the insecurities we feel when a loved one turns his or her attention to someone else albeit innocently? The disappointment and pain we feel when we are abused and battered beyond belief?

No greater love than when a man lay down his life for his brother is what the bible tells us. Does that still hold sway today? A lot of people are cynical having gone through the wringer in the name of  love. They have been to hell and back and have just bad memories to relieve.

They say love is over rated. They argue that love is not about the good times alone, it is not about the gifts, the material things, the goose bumps. Love is about being there through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, for better or worse, in every sense of  the word.

What has receiving an iPad 2,  a Hermes bag, a luxury Caribbean cruise and recharge cards got to do with the expression of  love? They are not a prerequisite… .

If they are given, all well and good, but if not, what then? Do you fall out of  love or say you are not loved? If these things can be afforded, fine but you do not send your loved one to go steal on your behalf just to prove that you are loved. How about simply spending time together and discussing your future without your blackberry sounds coming between you two?

How about sparing a thought for that person who has just lost a loved one and going to spend time with them or sending a word of prayer or giving them a ring to say “how do you do, I just thought of you today”. The world we live in is all about the hustle and bustle, very little time is spared for the expression of  true love.

Real relationships have been replaced by things. Two people can be in a room together and not speak to each other; instead they ping at someone else who is not there.

A family has television sets in all the rooms and each person is locked away doing their own thing ; the daddy watching the sports channel, the mother, the fashion and gossip channel, the children, the cartoon channel.

There is a “disconnect “so to speak, and very little time to spend together. Holidays are no different as the father is held back by work and the mother goes away with the children, having to care for them on her own which then becomes more of a chore than a relaxing time.

Love for country has also taken a back seat and self centredness is the order of  the day. Putting the citizens under bondage while the leadership lined their already filled pockets to no end, is the fashion. How about giving that community a secure environment to live in, the much needed good roads they lack, clean drinking water, health centres to care for their sick, welfare packages to care for their aged and good affordable schools for  children education?

How many cars can one person really drive? How many houses can one live in at once? How many clothes can be worn  at a time? All is vanity and when we die nothing taken… .

True love is patient, true love is kind, it forgives everything,  does not bear false witness or count the wrongs, it protects,cares and  bears all things. Though we are but flesh and blood and prone to weakness because of our frail nature, we have an inner strength and spirit that is indomitable. We can choose to love truly or not.

Distance should not be a barrier to the expression of  love. You move on and find other people to love and projects that will benefit from this expression of  love. When you love someone, then you love them with your heart.

Let the flowers, cakes, chocolates, candle light dinners and gifts flow, but let us not forget the real and true meaning of what it means to love and be loved.