A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds,
'What does love mean?'
The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
'When my grandmother got arthritis , she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time , even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.' - Rebecca, age 8
'When someone loves you , the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' - Billy, age 4
'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.' - Karl, age 5
'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.' - Chrissy, age 6
'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.' - Terri, age 4
'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him , to make sure the taste is OK.' - Danny, age 7
'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing , you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that.
They look gross when they kiss' - Emily, age 8
'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents
and listen.' - Bobby, age 7 (Wow!)
'If you want to learn to love better , you should start with a friend who you hate , ' - Nikka, age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)
'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt , then he wears it everyday..' - Noelle, age 7
'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well..' - Tommy, age 6
'During my piano recital , I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling....
He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.' - Cindy, age 8
'My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.' - Clare, age 6
'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.' - Elaine, age 5
'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford .' - Chris, age 7
'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.' - Mary Ann, age 4
'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.' - Lauren, age 4
'When you love somebody , your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image) - Karen, age 7
'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.' - Mark, age 6
'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it , you should say it a lot. People forget.' - Jessica, age 8
And the final one
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry , the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard , climbed onto his lap , and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor , the little boy said ,
'Nothing , I just helped him cry'
When there is nothing left but God , that is when you find out that God is all you need.