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Sunday Sayings – Love

Forestwood
snow cottage sweden sverige skellefteaa
Skellefteå – Sweden

Mostly anonymous, proverbs are a portal through time to generations past and echo a diverse range of cultures.

They speak of the experiences of many lessons learned and the wisdom from thousands of lives already lived.

They offer us knowledge; knowledge that is passed to us in much the same way relay runners might pass a baton. Once it’s handed over, it is up to us what we do with it and how we pass it on.

weekly proverb

“Love me when I least deserve it,

because that’s when I really need it”

~Swedish Proverb

heart love affection care


weekly quote

They say a person needs three things in life

in order to be truly happy:

someone to love,

something to do

and something to hope for –

Tom Bodett

heart light

Join in the discussion by leaving a comment.

Everyone’s opinion is important. What is yours?

~Amanda

sunday sayings at something to ponder about

Published by Forestwood

A philosophic Aussie writes here at StPA, one who will readily admit to loving Scandinavia. I'm interested in global politics and what drives us to be who we are. Scratch the surface and you'll find a practical Environmentalist with an egalitarian bent, trying to unleash a little creativity via the written word. Scandinavian culture, literature and traditions are close to my heart, even though I'm Australian. Travel and courteous discussions greatly broaden the mind, so I travel if I can and am always up for a vigorous, respectful discussion. I'm an avid reader, a writer and I enjoy photography and crafts, particularly traditional art forms. I hope you'll find 'Something to Ponder About,' in my WordPress Community.

20 thoughts on “Sunday Sayings – Love”

  1. I love both of these, Amanda. The top one reminds me of my daughter’s teen years. She was behaving in an awful way and I just couldn’t get through to her. So I put my arms around her and said that this too would pass and no matter what, I loved her. Snapped her right out of it. She apologized and said she didn’t understand why she was behaving that way. There were so many reasons I could have given her but we just kept hugging until she finally moved forward.

    The last one is great.I’ve saved it. Since we are love, we must keep it in motion and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a partner, a child of ours or just someone in the world. We need to be love. And we need purpose. Most people start to disintegrate when they no longer find purpose in their lives. Hope is the part of me that keeps looking for continued purpose. It’s just my own take on it. Hope you’ve had a Happy Easter, Amanda.

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    1. Thanks and a wonderful example of the proverb at work, Marlene. The misbehaving child or teen are often overwhelmed and need something, and often they do not know what it is that they need. They don’t think of consequences, they just react in a primal way. Your affection and genuine care halted those primitive instincts and she was able to see the selfless support and love you had for her. How powerful is love, right?!!! And probably good that you didn’t go into too many explanations. Hugging said all that was needed to be said.
      On purpose: a precise observation about lives disintegrating without purpose. We see that in reactive depression. We see it in grief and loss. We see it in retired men who cannot find alternatives to replace work. We see it in the unemployed. We see it in the elderly who have nothing to live for anymore and simply give up. When a aged person gives up completely, there is nothing medically that can be done to save them.
      Hope is the last bastion when things are grim. Like love it can be powerful and resilient.
      Thanks for taking the time to comment, Marlene. It means a lot as I know your life is busy. Enjoy the rest of your Easter. Hugs from Australia

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  2. I love that first saying. So absolutely true, and I enjoyed Marlene’s example above of her experience doing just that. – demonstrating love when it was least deserved. I went over and looked at Marlene’s blog, and am now following along. I think I’m going to enjoy her ‘search for it all.’

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    1. I am so glad you two have connected. Marklene is so very inspirational . She has a way of articulating the most salient points in the discussion. I so enjoy her comments and I am sure you will enjoy her blog as much as I do.
      Enjoy your Easter, Chris.

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  3. I like the love me when i least deserve it – this does not mean that we get walked over or that we passively submit to abuse- but there are times – many times – when we act with love in a way that goes beyond what someone deserves or brought upon themselves.

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    1. Good point, Yvette. It must be said that this proverb is not a mandate for abuse or exploitation. Rather it is an recommendation or cry to look underneath the outward behavior to see the real motivation as an expression of NEEDS at a given moment. Do you feel that the proverb speaks to unconditional acceptance?

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    1. I think folks may be able to live without love, for a certain time, but it would be very difficult to live without hope or purpose, that would be torture. I imagine this is what affects the mental health of those detained in refugee camps the most, and why the only solution that changes that, is the cessation of detention.

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  5. Well… seeing that I have a dog and no children, I don’t agree with the love when he doesn’t deserve it. 😉 It’s counter-productive. I understand the sentiment behind it though. Placing borders and limits is love too. As for the second one – I wonder what is it that I hope for. Really can’t tell. Reach 100 and die in peace?

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    1. Good point, Manja. Love can also be tough love, in that you have to stern or strict sometimes in order to be responsible, (be that as a parent or pet owner, or even son/daughter). Letting someone get away with exploitation of another, is not respectful, is not showing them love, but rather it is conveying a message that says, “I don’t really care; do what you want.” Which I think troubled kids hear from non-attentive parents. Letting the kids or animals have their way or whatever they want – (something that most kids and animals would initially think is awesome) – is definitely counter productive in the long run. You could then have a dog that is without rules even becoming aggressive if it is stressed, or a delinquent child that ignores teachers/ the law/society and is actually extremely insecure. Again, I guess a middle path between the two extremes is preferable. Hope is something that comes to prominence more in darker times. When things are going well and we are comfortable and happy, hope diminishes in size. When we are unhappy, hope grows larger in life. If times are tough, and all hope is lost, you are at desperation point. i hope you reach 100 and die in peace. That would be a pleasant thought. I have always hoped I would be content; for contentment is more permanent than happiness I feel.

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  6. This was wonderful, Amanda! Both the quotes are so true and inspiring and powerful. The first one, is particularly close to my heart as I am a firm believer of this (I did not know this was a Swedish proverb…I have just thought that this is how we should be). As I am learning the ropes of parenthood, I feel there are times when I fail miserably- maybe I deal with my son in a way that is not right and I end up disciplining him in a manner that could have been avoided. And then when he looks at me with those eyes that reflect innocence and promise, I realize how wrong I was to be mad at him. He is at the age when he needs love to be his guide and that is where I come in. Love always reaches the soul. I read Marlene’s post (and I also just started following her blog…powerful writing) and couldn’t agree more. I also keep this in mind when as a couple my husband and I seem to be not getting along as what should be ideal. We have very different personalities and we deal with things in exactly opposite ways that is not always helpful! But this, I keep telling him and myself and I must say, the power of love and understanding can work wonders.

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    1. I sometimes wonder how 2 people can live together for many years and work through problems as we all come from different backgrounds and family values. No two families are the same. Marriage often isn’t plain sailing. I think underneath it all, though, we see ourselves, (well at least I do, I can’t speak for him); see our family as a team. We bat together, we win together, we lose together. Love, understanding, and acceptance is very powerful. Marriage is something we have to work on every day. Someone told me that years ago and it has stayed with me. Before that, I had some expectations that marriage would be a continual bed of roses, for all time. Just as we age, and change, marriage does too. But the team is constant!
      I hear you worrying about scolding your son. I used to worry about this too. But as I was discussing with Manja in the previous comment, to never scold a child at all would be as bad as continually scolding them. Children need structure and rules and consequences if the rules are broken, but also freedom and time to play freely with distractions and have fun. They also need I think to have time to invent their own fun, as their lives today are full of activities, after before school activities, school itself and drama, gym, tutoring, hockey etc etc. We must find a balance between doing too much and not enough for them.
      Children breaking the rules and receiving gentle consequences can be a learning experience if framed as such.
      I am so glad you found Marlene’s blog. She is such an inspiration to me.
      Thank you so much for a wonderful comment!
      Amanda

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    1. Ah. Yes, Lisa. Stockholm Syndrome. Such an interesting aspect of why folks who have been abused return to their abusers. It is similar to those folks who are so used to feeling depressed, that they feel guilty if they are feeling happy. Their brains are so accustomed to a negative depressed response, it is an easy neurological path to take than to re-frame one’s thought with positivity.

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