What is your love language?
I met a lady the other day and when I told her that my sister and I owned a greeting card company (a fact that always elicits an interesting response), she got very excited. She is a self-proclaimed “greeting card girl.” She laughed and said that she sends cards out in hopes that they will come back to her. I think this is the greeting card version of “If you build it, they will come.” Does this sound like you? Or do you have a girlfriend, aunt, grandmother, maybe a sister like this? I would be willing to bet that their love language is ‘Words of Affirmation.’ According to the book by Gary Chapman, we all have a primary love language which is how we connect to others. The 5 love languages are:
1) Words of Affirmation
2) Acts of Service
3) Receiving Gifts
4) Quality Time
5) Physical Touch
As you can probably guess, ‘Words of Affirmation’ is definitely my love language (take the quiz here to find out yours!). Words on a card, written to me, are incredibly valuable, often regardless of the message. Besides, who doesn’t love getting mail?! It feels just like it did when I was a kid. I even hop up and down (just once so the neighbors don’t notice) and think, “YES! Fun mail!!” I think it goes without saying, but bills do not count as mail.
Amanda and I both write letters to a great aunt. She’s not really our great aunt- she’s the aunt of our stepmother. Neither of us has ever met her or her husband. I think we both started sending her notes and pictures of the kids, really just because we knew our stepmom would appreciate it. Without fail though, she always writes back. I know that if I send her a card today, then I am almost guaranteed to get one back in the next two weeks. (She even keeps the pictures we send and adds them to her family picture album- how cute is that?!)
SO, if you are a friend or relative or even cubicle neighbor to a “words of affirmation” person, drop them a note. Hide one on their desk. Mail them a card with a message written in it, even if they haven’t written to you first.
If you have a friend that often mails cards and letters to you, I challenge you to take 3 minutes over a cup of coffee and write out a quick note in return. The mail you get back is so much better than any “like” on Instagram or Facebook.
If you are a “words of affirmation” person, then let me re-affirm you today…
You are worthy. You are enough. You are not perfect, but you are BEAUTIFUL.