Saying "I Love You"

For some people, saying "I love you" does not come naturally.

My dad was one of those people.  I don't think I heard him say "I love you" to me until the final year of his life.

Nina Matthews Photography via photopin cc

But he told me he loved through his actions all the time.

When I was in high school, Dad drove me in the 3 miles to school every morning.  He also went out of his way to pick up my best friend and give her a ride too.

Dad loved to sing to the two of us in the car.

Dad had a beautiful preaching voice: strong, commanding, nice to listen to.  He did NOT have a beautiful singing voice.

He had the kind of singing voice that made babies cry, young children cover their ears, and people near him cringe.

And his choice of songs left a lot to be desired as well.  His favorites for those morning drives included his high school fight song and a lovely ditty about the cow kicking Nellie which included the refrain,

     "Second verse, same as the first, little bit louder and a little bit worse."

Which he would then proceed to do.

Of course this embarrassed me to tears and as we would pull up to my friend's house each morning I would beg him not to sing today.  He would solemnly agree and then as my friend got in the car he would burst into song with great enthusiasm.

Teasing was his love language.

Dad didn't say "I love you" but he lived it.  It's nice to hear the words, but, if you have to make a choice, choose the one who acts in love every time.