Hi!  Deep down do you wish you could have a loving life and family?   For everyone to just get along and be kind to each other. Oh,  I sure have.  For this to happen we have to intentionally work to create peace and love.

When I think of some of the greatest people who love deeply, I think of Moms.  As a wife of nearly 25 years and Mom of 3 college aged kids, I’ve discovered Moms love deeply and are a great example for us all.

Here are five ways we can grow in love.

1.  Prepare for love.   When a woman begins to consider  becoming a mom, she immediately begins to prepare for it.  She sees friends that have children and starts to imagine herself in that role.  After she gets pregnant, preparing really heats up as she makes room in her body, announces the upcoming birth to family and friends, plans for doctors visits, etc.  Each day she opens her heart to the idea of creating and loving another human being.

Erma Bombeck captures a  mother’s heart with these words, “Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.”

2.  Give Birth to Love.   In order to  grow in love we need to be willing to give birth. Mothers intimately know the amazing miracle it is to give birth to her precious new baby.   For us to love we must be willing to go through the pain of birth to receive a new life and love.

3.   Raise up love.   For love to grow we need to tend to it an mend it.   From the time the child is born until they leave the nest mothers tend to millions of details to raise up loving children.  A mother’s constant spirit reads emotions and heart strings like no other.

For us to  truly love we know we need to mirror love as a couple. It’s super important to  continue to grow a relationship with our spouse and schedule date nights.

I remember when my daughter Tina was five years old and she asked me, “Mommy are you going to be home after I come home from kindergarten today?”  I told her, “Of course honey. ”   She began to jump up-and-down and excitedly say, “Hip hip  Hooray, today’s a Mommy Care day! “   It was at that moment that it struck me – she would remember what we did from this point forward.

In 1999 our family started  creating traditions that would build a foundation of love in our family.  On of my favorites is ‘The Original Love Box’ tradition – which is writing love notes to everyone in our family and reading them aloud. This tradition gives us space to express heart-felt feelings and bond our family together in profound ways.  We did & will continue to do the tradition every Christmas eve.  We also do it for birthdays or before the kids go away, etc.  What a huge blessing it has been for all of us!

4.  Realize Love Fades & Dies (for a while).   A dear friend named Peggy recently celebrated  her 50th wedding anniversary. I asked her what her secret was and she said “Great love requires two great forgivers.”       We are human and make mistakes.  We must apologize over and over again for our failures and mend our relationships.

When each of my children were in high school I knew it was time to begin letting  you.  When you love someone deeply you want what’s best for them and that means letting them go to follow the path God has for them.

Graduations were marked with so many emotions including intense joy & celebrations.  Then when we dropped each of our children off to college I felt heart broken and as if a piece of my heart was taken out.  At the time the pain seemed overwhelming and the following weeks I felt like I was sinking in quicksand.  I was so happy for them but sad for me.   Then as each child started succeeding I realized we could create a new type of relationship and love.

Love may fade for a time.  Many beloved family members have passed away and some of our saddest times in life have been losing our loved ones.  There are seasons to love and one of them is letting go.  Ultimately, we realize that we can love forever in our memories.  Death only ends our Earthly relationship.  Our spirit and love lingers on.

5.  Love lasts forever.   We can continually grow in new love and new life despite challenges, death and deep loss.

I remember tearing up when our children went off to kindergarten. Yet, I was also delighted because I got a few hours of freedom per day.

Since the kids went off to college my hubby and I have a lot more time time to do new things. It has brought us great joy to rekindle our romance. We can focus on traveling, hobbies and our careers. For years I wondered “When is it going to be my time?” Now it is.

I now have the time and energy to promote more love in the world with educational programs and the Original Love Box tradition.  We are taking all the love we used to pour into our family and share it with so many other people – at work and in or community.  What an honor to watch love grow in unimaginable ways with thousands of families.

As you can see a mothers love is immense and lasts from birth to letting go.  Mothers are incredible role models for unconditional love.

We hope that in the future (not too soon though) we will have grandchildren that we can love on too.  Oh, the joy and more love that waits.

Love grows and lasts forever!

So, how do you grow in love?  Let’s hear your comments below.