All the love I have for you."
"Mommy, how do you measure love?"
Asked the child, wondering how,
Hmm ... her mother stopped to ponder,
A furrow formed upon her brow.
"Love can't be marked by rulers,
Or weighed upon a scale,
It can't be measured in a cup,
Or with a spoon or pail."
"It can't be counted out like coins.
Nor put away for rainy days,
The more, it seems, some people have,
The more they give away."
"Love is valued differently,
And it's very hard to measure,
To some poor souls it's worthless,
While to others it's a treasure."
"There are many kinds of love,
Though they're basically the same,
All love starts within the heart,
Where it's nourished and sustained."
"Love can make a life worthwhile,
Though, its depth and breadth cannot be checked,
But when love's around, folks have found
The full extent of its effect."
"The twinkle in a person's eye,
The smile on a loved one's face,
Both are signs of love-at-work,
Though no measurement has taken place."
The attentive child sat and thought,
As she listened to those words,
But she really didn't understand
Everything she heard.
So again she said, "I love you,"
With her baby arms outstretched,
"That's all the love I got," she said,
Somewhat troubled and perplexed.
"Oh, honey, that's the way you do it,
That's how you really measure love,"
Then her mother opened wide her arms,
And gave her unmeasured hugs.
Virginia (Ginny) Ellis
Copyright May 2005
