Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  Matthew 22:37-39

February 2019

Dear Friends,

February is the month for love!  With all the advertisements for jewelry, roses, cards and restaurants, it is easy to think of Valentine’s Day as a Hallmark moment. We're hoping this month’s “Gift of Love” will inspire you to go beyond the chocolate hearts and find new ways to weave the Gift of Love into your life.

Blessings,

The Team at Legacy Planning Advisors LLC

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The Gift of Love

Few words have the power that the word “love” holds:  one small word, but with thousands of ways to express and receive it.  Some people show love by giving, others by doing.  Love creates a feeling in all of us that is undeniable and universal.  But most important of all love is a choice, not just a feeling, and we can choose to be loving, even when we don’t feel love.  When we choose to be loving we can mend a damaged relationship quickly by being the first to reach out.  When we open our hearts and try to understand how the other person feels, the wall between us comes down.  The Gift of Love is about experiencing how much richer life can be when you put your heart into everything you do.  It’s about learning to love others in the way they need to be loved, instead of how you want to love them.  This month, you will see that when love is the common denominator in our lives, we are that much richer for it.

Experience The Gift of Love

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

The Five Languages of Love

According to Dr. Gary Chapman, author of The Five Languages of Love, we put a lot of time, energy, and money into gifts of love; yet it doesn't always have the effect for which we are hoping.  The problem is that we don’t all speak the same language of love, and we tend to talk to others in our own language, not theirs.  The Five Languages of Love are 1) physical touch, 2) words of affirmation, 3) quality time, 4) gifts, and 5) acts of service.  The key to someone’s heart is to speak their language of love.  Pay attention to what he or she does for you and you will have a good idea of what you can do for him or her in return.

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:14

Love by the Month

It’s difficult to stay connected with your family when you have to drive long hours or pay for expensive plane tickets to get together.  Here is a simple, fun and inexpensive way to stay connected to family and friends who live far away.  Pin a large envelope onto a bulletin board in your kitchen or family room, labeled “Love by the Month”.  It’s a reminder to fill it with tidbits of love and daily life that your family collects throughout the month:  extra photos, children’s artwork, a favorite recipe, or an article you want to share.  Before you know it, you will begin to hear: “Oh, put that in the envelope for Grandma (or other family members)!”  Then send it off to your loved ones.  Making this a monthly tradition is a wonderful way to help relatives who live far away stay connected to your family all year long.

And now these three remain faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

My Secret Valentine

Everyone loves little surprises and everyone loves to be loved, so this month start a new tradition that will keep everyone smiling and feeling loved at the same time!  During this month of Love, have each person in your clan draw another family member’s name out of a hat.  For the next week or two, everyone does something nice every day for their “Secret Valentine”, without revealing who they are.  When your Secret Valentine is in the shower, the bed gets made.  When she is off to a friend’s house, you complete one of her chores.  While she is busy studying, you slip a sweet note and a treat under her pillow.  Everyone unveils his or her “Secret Valentine” at dinner one evening.  This is a wonderful way to teach your family that “things” aren't the only gifts you can give.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8