Learning to Love in Different Ways {Storge}

In my first attempt to write and post this, the electricity went out…so let’s try this again!

Taking a trip to the store at this time of year can be hazardous to the eyes.  There’s a whole lot of red and pink out there, and hearts, and balloons, and that evil, herpes of the craft world…glitter!  With every corner you turn in the grocery store, you’re accosted by reminders of the day of love, the celebration of romance and the glorification of winning other’s affection through material possessions.

I ask you, should we really allow ourselves to stoop so low, to think that love can be won in this manner?  That a box of chocolates (that’s sure to ruin their calorie count), or a bouquet of roses (that will wilt and die) are suitable gifts to be given to the ones that mean so much to us?

There’s so much more to love than winning the adoration of another.  So much more, that the Greek’s even have four different words to express the meaning of love.

[Tweet “How can one four letter word encompass all that is love? The Greek have 4 different words!”]

Today we’re focusing on the type of love that most of us experienced first in our lives; the love of family.  The Greek word for this kind of love is Storge, στοργή, which means affection.It is the “fondness through familiarity (a brotherly love), especially between family members or people who have otherwise found themselves together by chance.  It is described as the most natural, emotive, and widely diffused of loves: natural in that it is present without coercion; emotive because it is the result of fondness due to familiarity; and most widely diffused because it pays the least attention to those characterisitcs deemed ‘valuable’ or worthy of love and, as a result, is able to trascend most discriminating factors.” (Source)

This kind of love is sometimes considered to be a “ready made” kind of love; one that comes without expectations and that happens naturally.  It’s also a kind of love that often extends beyond understanding.  It’s what I feel to be one of the purest types of love.

So if this love, this affection (storge) appears to be innate, how can we ensure that the ones we extend this to truly understand our feelings towards them, without having to buy or make another Valentine’s day card?

No. 1 – Show Them

• Make a scrapbook or gather together pictures of your favorite memories with your loved ones and spend some time going through it together, reminiscing and talking about why these times are so meaningful to you.  Is your family spread out? Create a slideshow on http://photobucket.com/ by uploading your favorite images and send it to them digitally.  Just be sure to follow up and tell them why you’ve made it for them!
• Fill your loved one’s car, living room, bedroom, office space (wherever) with balloons.  On each one, write a favorite memory you’ve spent together.

No. 2 – Tell Them

• Buy a deck of cards and write out a different reason that you love them on each card.  Decorate the outside of the box and give it to them as a reminder of why they are so special to you.
• Buy a picture frame and a large mat for a favorite photo of you and your loved ones.  On the mat, write down the reasons that you love being a part of their life and reasons that you love having them a part of yours.

No. 3 – Spoil Them

• Do something special to let your loved ones know how much you care for them. Maybe it’s making their favorite dinner and desert, or taking a day to participate in their favorite activities (such as shopping, an impromptu flag football game, an afternoon at the spa, or a family game night).
• Surprise your loved one at work, school, home (wherever they are during the day) with a special treat and a hand-written note to say how much you love them.

It’s really that easy…and that inexpensive!  So get out there and spread the love!