A Grammar Lesson on LOVE

Marge! Where have you been? I don't have an exciting explanation, but today I'm back to blogging. I have a card and gift package to share with you.  The card is a Mary Fish CASE, the gift package is an Andrea Walford CASE. But before we get to crafting here are some thoughts to ponder about love while you create cards and gifts for your loved ones.

With February being the "month of love," two friends began to discuss their plans (or lack of plans) for Valentine's Day weekend.  Then they moved into sharing some marriage lessons they'd learned throughout their combined 45 years of marriage.   One observed that love has to mature for a marriage to go the distance.  And then followed that observation with, "I guess love has to move from being a noun to being a verb."

They both paused and considered the implications of that.  My friend said it was one of the most profound things she'd ever said and hasn't been able to get the concept out of her head.

 Immature love is a noun. A thing we long for. A feeling. An expectation of what someone will do for us.  Mature love is a verb.  An action we take. A decision.  A choice to do something for someone else.
  
Unfortunately too many of us have yet to mature in our love, and our relationships bear the scars of that fact.  But it's never too late to grow up.  If we want our love to last a lifetime, we can't afford to keep believing that love is a noun. The feeling of love is short-lived.  We have to transition to understanding that long-lasting love is really a verb.
  
But what does this English lesson of nouns and verbs have to do with real relationships?  How do we take this concept and apply it to real life? Maybe these scenarios can help paint the picture.
  ■Love as a noun spent all last week wondering what your spouse was going to do for you for Valentine's Day. Love as a verb spent all last week preparing your expression of love for your spouse.
 ■Love as a noun feels despair when you no longer feel "in love" with the person you are married to. Love as a verb understands the ebb and flow of feelings.  It focuses more on expressing love than feeling love.
 ■Love as a noun demands its own way.  Love as a verb works to understand differences and is open to new ways of doing things.
 ■Love as a noun finds faults in others.  Love as a verb gives grace and forgiveness.
 ■Love as a noun expects others to serve them.  Love as a verb serves freely.
 ■Love as a noun expects to always feel warm and fuzzy and "in love."  Love as a verb realizes that often we have to choose to love even when we don't feel like it.
The most frequently quoted Bible verse at weddings is I Corinthians 13, which is often referred to as the "love chapter."  It says that "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."

It wasn't until just a few weeks ago that I realized that every time love is mentioned in this often quoted verse, it is a verb. Maybe this concept has been right in front of my eyes all along, but I just didn't understand it until recently. The most interesting thing, however, is a less often quoted part of the verse that says, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me."

So love has to grow up.  It has to mature.  Who knew grammar could reveal so much about love?

Now: BRING ON THE PROJECTS

The card design is a Joy Fold. The base is Pear Pizzazz (119795) cut at 4 1/4 x 8 1/2, then score at 5 1/2. Cut and adhere Designer Series Paper 4 x 5 1/4 to the interior (suggest 117158). Cut Rose Red (102544)at 4 x 2 3/4 for the outside left panel, prior to adhering it to the card base run it through the Big Shot (113439) in the Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder (115964). For the small card, cut Pear Pizzazz at 3x8 and score at 4. Add 2 3/4 x 3 3/4 Designer Series Paper to the outside of the small card (suggest 117155). Position and adhere the small card on the larger card. "Happy Birthday" (Perfect Punches-120516 clear or 117022 wood) is stamped in Concord Crush (119785), punched (119859) and adhered with Stampin'Dimensionals (104430). That nifty flower is made with 3 Scallop Circles (118874) fan folded between the petals, clipped to the center point and glued together; an Antique Brad (117273) adds a great touch; then is fastened to the card with Mini Glue Dots (103683).
And how sweet is the gift box? One sheet of Concord Crush (119792) ran through the Big Shot with the new Petal Cone Die (121810) then embossed in the Elegant Bouquet folder. Small squares of Rose Red were cut with the same die to create the scalloped embellishment on the top. This same die also cuts the ribbon strip on the card. This die cuts and scores in one operation using the premium crease pad (113476). The box is decorated with strips of Designer Series Paper, a Rose Red Scallop Trim Border (118402), and a bit of white lace from my sewing stash. Stampin'UP has a wide array of ribbon that gathers easily and is dyed to match all the paper and ink and embellishments. Finally the box is closed with a Pear Pizzazz ribbon (119265) threaded through two Jumbo Eyelets (108431 brass 108432 pewter) that were effortlessly set with a Crop-a-dile(108362). Sticky Strip (104294) is ideal for assembling 3-D projects. Multipurpose Liquid Glue (110755) is ideal for adhering the lace as well as cardstock to textured or embossed images.

I would be honored and delighted to help you with your stamping projects. Don't forget that Sale-a-bration is in full swing through March 31, 2011. In addition to the generous hostess benefits that Stampin'UP offers you can select one item from the special Sale-a-bration catalog for every $50 in product that you purchase. (Tax and postage is calculated seperately and is not included in the purchase total for Sale-a-bration benefits). I have links on my blog to view all the current catalogs, email me today with your order.

Thanks for stopping by and reading. Happy crafting.