What Do I Love?

Last night I went to a Relief Society meeting, where the theme was, "What do you love?" We were supposed to bring something that we love to 'show and tell'. It was a great chance to get to know the sisters in the ward a little better.

I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to bring. The difficulty was that I couldn't think of anything that I love. (Families and scriptures, etc were a given and so were disqualified.) I love people, but as far as things go, there really isn't anything that I couldn't live without. Sure, there are things that I enjoy and like, but love? That was tough.

For lack of anything else, I brought my frog collection. It has sat in a drawer of my jewelry box collecting dust for the last few years for lack of a good place to display it. It's not something I think about often these days, but I do like it.

At the meeting, people shared things they collect, things they have made, things other people have made for them, and heirlooms that have been passed down to them. As I drove home afterwards, I began thinking of other things I could have brought:

One of the quilts that I've made. (There were several quilts shown at the meeting.)
Something I've crocheted or knitted.
A piece of jewelry I've made.

The thing about these items is that it is the creating that I enjoy - much more than the finished product.

A jigsaw puzzle is similar. It is the experience of solving it that I enjoy, much more than looking at a completed picture, or owning a particular puzzle. It means nothing to me in itself - it is only in putting it together that I appreciate it.

My piano used to belong to my grandparents. I appreciate its history, and yet I appreciate it so much more for the music I can make from playing it.

When it comes to love languages, I definitely appreciate quality time more than gifts. I think it is an intrinsic part of my personality that I value experiences more than I do physical objects.