The plastic blue three-ring binder has been on our bookshelf for years, among picture albums from the days when a roll of film was developed and pictures were placed in plastic sleeves. Inside the blue notebook are newspaper clippings glued on blue-lined notebook paper. Clippings that Mom saved during the winter of 1975-76.
A pictorial review tells of the troubles of 1975. Other editorial cartoons show hope for 1976, Dennis the Menace tracks mud through his house, and Dagwood gobbles a humongous sandwich. The single panel cartoons Mom saved that I most appreciate are love is… (always written in small letters and followed by three periods.)
Remember the cute boy and girl with big round heads and eyes, up-turned noses, and no clothes? Mom’s love is… clippings are yellowed, showing their age, but as true today as thirty-five years ago.
Love is…lots of giving and taking. Knowing when to count your blessings. Carrying your share of the load. Not turning your back on his problems. Best when played straight. What makes you feel a whole lot younger than you are. Love is trusting and having faith in each other.
And love is… can be specific. Learning the words to his favorite song. Not keeping him waiting too long. Seeing it’s not a perfect job but it’s still all right. Not using his last razor blade to shave your legs. Smelling good just for him. Not making loud noises in the morning.
The first love is… cartoon was printed in the Los Angeles Times in 1970 and continues in some print forms today, but don’t we all have our own ideas of what love is? Some of my friends shared. Love is having special friends. Cooking for a month while your wife is sick. The coffee my husband brings me before I get out of bed. A cream horn and glazed donut from Ralph’s Donut Shop. A thank you note under your pillow. Folding back her sheet at bedtime.
And third grade students shared their thoughts. Love is being kind and helpful. Giving hugs and not being rude or mean. Someone who cares for you and you can trust. To feel happy and bright. Something you do to be kind and you give something to someone.
One eight-year-old said, “Love is action not a word.” A friend shared that one of her favorite quotes, ‘Work is love made visible.’ Turn that around: love is work made visible. Action. Work. Love. Those three words go together.
As I flip through Mom’s collection of clippings, I think of my parents at this time of their lives: nearing retirement, their first two grandchildren were toddlers, and they enjoyed playing cards and golf with friends. They showed their love to each other and those they loved. I’m glad Mom saved love is… clippings, and she marked a favorite one. Love is … never getting enough of that wonderful stuff. It seems to me that love is ageless.
Susan Writes 
Great article friend ❤️
Kat Rust Bobkatsr@gmail.com
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I read a story of a couple that was being interviewed for their 75 yrs of marriage and how they made it last that long, what was their secret? They answered, we loved, and just never gave up on each other.
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