have i told you lately that i love you?

i finished my Terry Pratchett book yesterday, and my Isobelle Carmody book this morning, so i felt pretty aimless for the rest of the day.. i had nothing to do cause Sam was hogging the comp playing some game(s) online. so i went to the bookshelf along the hallway and looked for something to read.

it didn't look promising: lots of odds and ends [e.g. elastic bands, paper clips, photos] on the top shelf. second shelf half empty [usually reserved for short term books e.g. library books, lost homework etc.] includes space for dictionaries, third shelf full of books like narnias and harry potters and some other weird childrens' books. also packed with inspirational books.. it is one of these that i chose to read.

a 3rd serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul..

anyway, this long winded explanation is all leading up to a point. the explanation will be longer than the point, eventually, but hear me out. i started reading randomly, and somehow, it seemed as if every story i read had something to do with telling someone else you loved them, or they counted, or they would make a difference in the world. and in every story, someone [or someoneS] would be profoundly transformed or saved from committing suicide.

i'm not trying to be sarcastic or crude, i swear. the point is, i suddenly remembered something sarah told me a long time ago [o.e. about 6 mths back]. she said that her cousin , jon, was constantly singing one line from an old, old song. he'd go "have i told you lately that i love you?" at erratic intervals to whoever was in convenient earshot [most often sarah].

at the time, i thought that was cute and funny, in a slightly lame sort of way [sorry, jon, if you're reading this] and we both had a good laugh about it [in fact, i ended up singing that line to sarah the whole day]. but what got me just then was that he had a point. whether or not he meant it, he was letting people around him know that he cared [only someone who cared would sing a sappy song like that. again, sorry jon]. and he might not know it, but he might actually save someone from mixing petrol with their juice on day.

so everyone out there, i urge you. sing a corny song at odd intervals to let the people around you know how much you love them. some good ideas are: that really old one that goes "i love you, i honestly love you", 'i'm a believer', 'lean on me', and the good old 'i'll be there for you'..