True friendship is like a rose: we don’t realize its beauty until it fades.

-Evelyn Loeb

Where would we be without our friends?

A friend can make you face the day when you yearn to hide under the covers.  She knows what you are thinking even when you don’t say a word. She can also make you laugh just by the way she looks at you.

Yet as we get older and are pulled in more and more directions it is easy to put friendships on the back burner. You may forget to call her back a few too many times or have to postpone dinner because you are overwhelmed more than once.

Don’t let that happen.

Show her you treasure your friendship. Here are 10 ways you can do that and keep things strengthening.

1) Make a Date

Don’t assume you will find time to talk during the week. Instead, schedule a time and put it in your calendar. Treat it like any other appointment.

2) DVR It- Together

If you could be in the same room, you would be. But now you can DVR your favorite show and watch it together while on the phone.

3) Facebook Friends

Check your social media accounts in the morning before the day gets started. You can send her links to silly articles- remind her of a great time you shared together.  You can also Instant Chat about The Bachelor and Scandal.

4) Go to the Movies

Even if your buddy is miles away, you can catch a flick together. Simply attend a showing in your respective cities at the same time. Then chat afterwards.

5) Pajama Party

You are never too old for a slumber party. Schedule a night for a group of friends to sleep over. If your house is too busy, book a hotel room. It will be more fun anyway.

6) Make Music

Put together a mixed CD of her favorite songs. Include songs you both love and those that bring back good memories.

7) Text It

Send quick texts during the day. Good friends don’t need to say a lot to get the point across. She can help you deal with a crazy co-worker or suggest ways to get your toddler off the monkey bars.

8) Vacation Buddies

Plan an annual trip together at the same time each year. Then you know you will have time to catch up uninterrupted. It will give you something to look forward to during the rest of the year.

9) Snail Mail

Pick up cards that remind you of your friend wherever you find them. Make a point of mailing out a few each month to brighten her day.

10) Skype Saturdays

Saturdays can be your Skype days. Go over the week together on your laptop, smartphone or iPad. You can see her new haircut and show her the outfit you plan on wearing on that special night out.

Make your friendship a priority. You know you couldn’t live without her. So now you need to show her.

Beautiful love quotes can inspire us to love more and with greater intensity.  Here are 20 of the best love quotes ever to share with the ones you love.

“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”
Mother Teresa

“Kiss me and you will see stars; love me and I will give them to you. ” ~ Author Unknown

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Feeling loved and supported is one of the best indicators that a relationship is going to last. While men also want love and support, they may be less likely to ask for it directly. Letting your man know how much you love and support him doesn’t have to be difficult. Try using these 10 easy ideas to let him know how much you care.

1. Tell him you love and support him. It really can be just that simple.

2. Listen without giving advice. If your man has had a hard day at the office, he might just be looking to vent. When you try to solve his problems for him, it could leave him feeling emasculated.

3. Don’t try to win every argument. Compromise is the key to a healthy, happy relationship.

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Technology is wonderful – especially when it can help us stay connected to the ones we love. Here are a few Iphone apps that will enhance your relationships and help you show your love.  Great Iphone apps to show love are:

Pair – TenthBit Inc.
Pair is a great way to stay in touch with the person you love, making it easy to share the important things in life with each other. It creates a timeline just for the two of you where you can post video messages and photos that only the two of you will share. Pair also allows you to chat, share sketches, set anniversary or birthday reminders and let your loved one know that you’re thinking of them. If the one you love has a Facetime account, you can easily switch from text chat to video chat from inside the app. If you’re both online at the same time, you can sketch together, as well as ThumbKiss – a feature that let’s you see where your partner is touching their screen so you can touch the same spot and make both phones vibrate simultaneously.

Instagram – Burbn, Inc.
Instagram makes it easy to share your beautiful photos with your loved ones. This app will allow you to capture wonderful moments that you will  treasure for a lifetime.

Love Maps – The Gottman Institute
Love Maps has constructed the Love Map Exercise. This fun exercise has 87 questions to help couple develop a “Love Map” of their partner’s world – their history, concerns, preferences and current issues.

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Do you know how to show love to your husband or boyfriend? Do you ever wish your wife would show her love more often?   Maintaining a strong, vibrant love relationship can be difficult. The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts, by Gary Chapman, can provide the key to strengthening  your  love relationship.  As Dr. Chapman explains, each one of us has a love language.  Our  primary love language is the way that we best feel loved.

The five Love Languages are:

#1 Words of Affirmation-This includes verbal expressions of love, compliments and words of encouragement. If this is your loved one’s language, tell her how much you appreciate her support and how much you love her.

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Unconditional love is the deepest, most profound love that you could possibly give to someone. It is also probably the hardest. Unconditional love requires love and devotion, even when the person is at their absolutely most unlovable. It requires you to never falter, even for a moment, and to remain steadfast no matter the challenges that may appear.

One of the most difficult questions for parents is how to show love to children who are challenging. This could mean children with special needs, children with behavioral difficulties or essentially any adolescent ever raised. The good news is that just by virtue of being your children, they will likely never have to work to earn your love. The important thing is to show that love in little ways, such as:

— Always acknowledge your love for them, even when they have done something wrong. Use words like, “Although I don’t like these actions, I still love you.”

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“Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit.” – Kahlil Gibran

Showing love through telephone wires or computer screens is one of the big challenges for long distance couples. Try out these ten great ways to show love and watch your romance strengthen every day.

1. Write snail mail letters.

As convenient as email is, it’s still nice to receive a handwritten letter. You can hold it in your hands, run your fingers over the letters and imagine your sweetie pouring heart and soul into the letter.

2. Schedule regular “dates.”

Plan a night every week to go on a virtual “date.” Rent the same movie and watch it in tandem, play a game online together or just sit and have dinner and a conversation over Skype. Either way, the process of making the date and keeping the date will show love for your partner.

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Write a love song for your kids. Create a beat and add the lyrics that express how much you love your kids. Emphasize what makes them unique- include their special attributes and talents.  Let the words express the enormous amounts of joy they have given you.

Just say “Thank you.”  Thank God or your Higher Power for all that you are – all that you have.  Thank your loved ones.  Give thanks to those who have touched your life in ways that they might not know.

Believe in love’s power. Love is one of the most powerful forces on this Earth.  Embrace it. Decide today to be a love giver – even during the times when you may not feel like it.

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While you may show your boyfriend or husband that you love him all year-long, Valentine’s Day presents an opportunity to show love in a special way. Whether your plan is simply romantic or downright extravagant, you and your sweetheart will have a night to remember.

1) Make reservations at the restaurant he took you to on your first date. Call ahead, and ask for the same table or a booth in a quiet spot of the restaurant.

2) If your boyfriend or husband has a stressful job, he might want to spend some special time at home with you. Find a romantic movie you both enjoy watching, order pizza, light the fireplace, and open up some beers.

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Our children are gifts that have been graciously granted to us. Not only do they deserve love, but, as parents, we should raise them lovingly so that they will emulate that as adults. Below are some ideas for how we can show love to our children.

1.      Remind them that you love them. Sneak a “love note” into your child’s lunchbox.

2.      Schedule time with them individually. This time should be uninterrupted, and could happen anywhere. The important thing is to give them your undivided attention during that special time.

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  It can be a challenge to avoid relationship ruts, given all of the demands and   distractions in today’s hectic society. However, marriages, especially loving, committed ones, take work! As women, we are, by nature, multi-taskers, but it is important that we make loving our spouses a top priority. But, how should we show love to our husbands? Here is a list of ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

1. Remember that gestures of love don’t always have to be elaborate. A simple text message or email during the day saying “I love you” will let him know you are thinking of him.

2. Send him a picture of yourself during the day; seeing you will put a smile on  his face.

3. Greet him with a kiss when he comes home. No matter what is going on – dinner, helping kids with homework – stop everything and show him you love him.

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