Three Little Words

I Love You.

The first thought to this phrase is: "Aaaaaawwwhh!!" but I want to look at what this really means.

Definition of love: (From the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)
I would like to direct your attention down to number1a and 4a-

strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties
unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another

 I think this should give us a whole new perspective on the phrase "I love you" It isn't just for a man and a woman who are "in love" or even just for a mother and her child, in essence what you are saying is:

I have a strong affection for you based out of my unselfish and loyal concern for you.

In this case I think we should be much more careful about who we say "I love you" to, why we are saying it, and what we really mean. There is a big difference between, 'I love you" and "I kinda care about you"

What people don't realize though, is that most of the time it is the people around you who seem the most happy that need to be told, I love you, the most. Masks are so dangerous, and generally, they look like happy. So today, go tell someone "I love you," and mean it. Because you never know, you might just save their life.

 -Danielle