Yes, women love their special someones, but the reasons may surprise you!
© Ashley Matheny

Love Quotes Get to the Heart of the Matter For Valentine’s Day

When it comes to love, we’ve always been curious about what matters most. So, on the occasion of Valentine’s Day, we decided to ask The OIC Community to tell us why they love their valentines.

From the quotes we received, we assembled a remarkable collection from women.

Listen in and gain perspective. The love quotes reveal a range of reasons—from the little things that matter to significant love-affirming attitudes and actions that make a relationship sing.

You might even find yourself saying, “Oh, I see a way to be more lovable myself!”

Saying, “You’re Special”

Love builds with constant reminders that you matter to someone. What counts? A look, a few words, a touching gift, or anything that says, “You’re special.”

I love my special someone because . . .

For five years, he has told me, “Good morning, Beautiful” every morning without fail.   —April Wooff

A welcome message: “Good morning, Beautiful!”
© lineartestpilot / iStock

He has been beside me for 20 years. We were 19 and 20 when we got married, and we were young and dumb . . . and broke. So, I never had a REAL wedding dress. He knew this was always something I regretted, especially after having our daughter 10 years ago. He has surprised me and planned an entire vow renewal for us. He even bought me a dress! I love this man to the moon and back!   —Jenniffer Eads 

He made me feel sexy when I was bald from head to toe with breast cancer.          —Sara Drulis

The little things seem to count, too. Most often mentioned—cooking something tasty, making the coffee, cleaning the house, holding open a door.

Helping with dinner
is a chance to add the love.
© pryzmat / iStock

Small deeds, indeed! But helping out seems to say, “I’m no more special than you. Let’s share the daily doings.”

Being There, Taking Care

The love quotes used different words to describe that special someone:

my soul mate     the love of my life     my rock     my all     my heart

But the most frequently mentioned was best friend. And that’s the person a woman can count on for support and encouragement, thoughtfulness and sensitivity—the person who has the key to her heart.

Being a true friend is key.
© NikiLitov / iStock

I love my special someone because . . .

He is the most generous giver I’ve ever met—a giver of time, resources, energy, love, hugs, support to anyone. He is his children’s biggest supporter and my best friend.   —Miss Bradford

He pushes me to be my best.   —Samantha G.

He never gave up on me!   —Stacy Novack

He is raising my son as his own.   —Kaye Newman

And then there are the tough times, when “being there and taking care” test a relationship. Those who make it through these “thin” times together have a rock-solid love.

How you treat someone in the tough times can lead to love set in stone.
© edelweiss7227 / iStock

I love my special someone because . . .

Through all these years of really hard times (he had an accident at work seven years ago), we’ve managed to keep it together, being each other’s cheerleaders. So many couples we know say they wish they could communicate like we do, and that makes me proud!   —Patti D.

Enjoying Life Together

Can a sense of humor and a positive attitude lead to love?  Judging from the love quotes, yes—the bigger the smile, the greater the love song.

I love my special someone because . . .

He is the most positive person I know! No matter what life throws at him, he’s always smiling and a joy to be around.   —Tamra H.

Above all, he makes me laugh. There are many other reasons, but this is the biggest.   —Lisa Carr

He’s fun to be around. He has an ease about him that just feels comfortable. He’s open-minded, easy to talk to, and hot, hot, hot!!   —Nichole Smith 

Enjoy life over two cups of hot, hot coffee!
© Matka_Wariatka / iStock

Hanging happily together is just THE BEST! These last two love quotes not only explain why people love each other, but why they stay together.

I love my special someone because . . .

It’s sweet for the both of us.   —Cherie

We complete each other.   —Michelle L.

OIC wishes you a Happy Valentine’s Day with this free ebook about LOVE, containing many more love quotes and perspectives from men and women. Click to download:

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Photo credit: Heart with headphones © dvarg / iStock

Answers to this question, posed to the OIC Community, bring life-tested advice your way!

The “Oh, I See” Community Speaks Up on How to Live Life Well

Here at OIC Moments, our readers are always learning and growing. They’ve amassed much wisdom from their life experiences and keep inspiring us with their insights!

So, when we asked for their best advice, we were not surprised to find a remarkable collection of life-tested wisdom.

Though each piece of advice expressed an individual’s truth, the collective wisdom of the community zeroed in on four essentials of life:

• Being happy

• Getting through the tough times

• Liking and investing in yourself

• Respecting others

With thanks to the OIC Community, we’ve compiled their wisdoms into a free ebook Good Advice from A to Z to help you live life well. May you find an “Oh, I see” moment or two in their wisdom, starting with a selection of their advice in this post.

Happiness Is What Counts

Angel Buffalino articulated why happiness is at the core of life:

“Be happy in whatever you do. Nothing else will matter if you aren’t happy.”      —Angel Buffalino

And Stephanie Owens suggested a quick way to find your smile when you’re blue:

But where does happiness come from?  No one mentioned money or status or material goods as the source. Instead, the OIC view is that happiness comes from attitude:

“My dad always told me, ‘Just BE HAPPY.’ Don’t whine and complain about things you can’t change. Don’t dwell on a bad situation. Just SMILE and you will instantly feel better. And when you feel good, good things will come to you.”   —Carl L. Smith, Jr.

To be happy, the community recommended some great approaches to life:

“Free your mind, cherish every moment, live, and enjoy your life.”                    —M. Bucarelli

“The advice I’ve always followed and continue to give: Listen to your heart.”   —Rhonda Best

“Save some of that ‘making everyone else’ happy time to make yourself happy.”   —Justine Gooding

Today in the field of positive psychology, pioneered by Dr. Martin Seligman at the University of Pennsylvania, scientists are studying happiness to uncover ways it can be strengthened. This new science of happiness reveals that people, who turn positive behaviors like the above into habits, are happier. Find more on “The Habits of Supremely Happy People,” in this Huffington Post article.

Weathering the Storms 

One thing’s for sure in life—tough times will come your way. Christine knows that they are actually an important part of getting good at life. She said:

Venessa Kelly is a good sailor. In her life, she experienced the storm as well as the sunshine that followed:

“ ‘What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger’ is my favorite quote. I’m a widowed mom of two wonderful young boys. In the darkest time of my life, I’ve managed to overcome so much pain and sadness and gained the strength to provide for our little family and make us happy again.”                   —Vennesa Kelly

Just as attitude plays a role in happiness, the OIC community also saw a positive attitude as a powerful strategy for getting through the tough times:

“If you can’t change a situation, try changing the way you look at the situation.”   —Kim Mignella

What You’re Made Of

In advising on identity and personal growth, the community saw a balancing act! On the one hand, there were recommendations for liking yourself the way you are and staying true to yourself:

“My best advice for anyone is to be yourself, always—the only person you have to answer to is yourself, and nobody can take that away from you. You then can be your best critic, and you alone can rectify your own mistakes. Being just YOU is simply original and unique.”   —Anitha Kuppuswamy

On the other hand, many advised investing in yourself, pushing the limits, and seeking continuous improvement:

“My dad used to say, ‘Get yourself an education. You can’t lose it, and nobody can take it away from you.’ ”   —Barbara Mayes

“By attempting something really difficult and outside of your comfort zone, you will discover how strong you really are.”   —Serena Adkins

“Make mistakes. Make them often. But don’t ever make the mistake of not trying.”   —Anne

Finding the balance, it seems, is a uniquely personal decision.

A Matter of Respect

Amid the life advice from the OIC community, the most often repeated was to:

 Treating others as you want to be treated is a matter of respect. And the community advised on several DOs and DON’Ts:

“Be kind to everyone.”   —Bill Digiglio

“Be humble.”   —Leland Lee

“Never talk badly about others so they have nothing bad to say about you!”   —Melissa Mazzur

“When you stop expecting people and situations to be perfect, you can start to appreciate them for whom and what they are.”   —Susan Stickney

Relationships get stronger when respect is the basis. And that brings us back to happiness to which all the advice is related. Happiness is about feeling good and finding meaning in life, all of which comes to people who maintain good relationships, feel they are worthwhile, can make contributions, and are strong enough to get through tough times.

Enjoy the full collection of wisdom from the OIC Community in this free ebook. Download here:

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Photo credits—speech balloon graphic: © Carsten Reisinger/iStock; smiling man: © Siri Stafford/Digital Vision; woman in cafe: © Purestock; ship in storm: © Eric Gevart/Hemera; people sitting: © Getty Images; couple sharing tea: Thomas Northcutt/Digital Vision.