So What is Your Love Language?

I had dinner with a friend the other night, and brought home a couple of the appetizers for my husband to taste. He’s a foodie…a serious, totally enthralled FOODIE! That is his love language. His greatest joy is preparing food and feeding people, knowing that they enjoyed his cooking and were pleased by the meal. He reads cookbooks and watches food tv, scours the internet for food ideas, and relishes the thought of cooking what someone has requested…need I say again that he is a foodie, and food is his love language.

I, on the other hand, am not a foodie. In fact, if there were a button you could push to not have to ever eat again, I would push that button! When I say that, my husband usually shrieks in horror and utters, “What’s wrong with you?” How in the world did these two people end up married? Your guess is a good as mine…maybe we started paying attention to what is important to the other person more than what is important to ourselves. Like bringing home extra food when you would rather not have eaten at all.

If you have not read Gary Chapman’s book, The Five Love Languages, you need to. It will change your perspective on the people you know and love simply by learning their love language. And if you are like me, you might realize you love people who do not share your love language. It isn’t a mis-match, it is indeed a great way to live. Frustrating at times, odd, even a bit interesting, yet it is love. We all have a love language – I am not going to explain them here – and by knowing ourselves and what makes other people tick, life is much better all along the journey.

I chose this quote from George Bernard Shaw, and I am guessing he was a foodie. There is no sincerer love than the love of food…who says that but someone who LOVES food? If we pay attention, people will show us and tell us what is important to them. How they love and expect to receive love. And when we are honest, conflict arises when we do not pay attention or refuse to give love the way they want, not just the way we want to give it. Listen to their complaints and they are telling you how they want to be shown love. So I dedicate this piece to my husband, who loves me and food…almost in the same amounts!!!

Know thyself by knowing your love language. Know others by learning their love language. Everyone needs to receive love and learn how to best give love; the simple fact is we do not all do that the same way. Be it food, or chores, words or gifts, your actions. Our actions and the actions of others have the power to make things better or worse…you choose!