There's a saying: love is an action, not a feeling.
You can have strong feelings for someone for a day or a lifetime.
How do you know those feelings will last? In truth, you can't know this.
All you can do is act lovingly every day.
Those actions will create a bond of love between you and your partner, and that will have every chance of lasting for a long time.
How do you act on love? Here are some ways to start.
Service There's a lot of love in doing dishes.
Vacuuming, cooking dinner, and driving the kids to school are all strong ways to show you love someone.
They are also often overlooked.
Performing the little, everyday tasks your partner might not want to do on their own tells them you love them loud and clear.
Time Giving the gift of yourself shows your partner you love them.
Often, loneliness stems from not having enough physical time in a loved one's presence.
Spend time together, and your partner will hear the words of love you aren't saying.
Touch Sometimes touch can say things words could never express.
For many people, a physical expression of love is one they understand and crave.
If your partner is very physically affectionate, chances are they feel most loved when you express your affection physically.
This can and does include sex, but it is also comprised of all the little touches you do over the course of a day.
Make an effort to touch your partner's face, give them a welcoming hug when they come home, and hold their hand while you watch television together.
Those little touches can fill your partner up with the kind of love they crave.
Commitment Love chooses the same thing every day.
When you love someone, you choose them again and again.
Commitment doesn't exist in a prediction or pledge; it exists in every choice you make.
Choosing to be with someone forever is as simple (and as difficult) as making the choice to put them first every time.
Honesty Love doesn't hide and it doesn't play games.
When you love someone, you will naturally want to get closer to them.
Stripping yourself of your self-conscious masks and allowing your partner to see you at your best and your worst is a good way to become close.
Being honest also means doing what you say you'll do every time, and it means making the same value judgments, no matter who is watching.
Love takes integrity.
Gifts Some people express love in gift giving.
These people are usually the ones who make homemade holiday gifts and are always giving you things that show how much they love you.
Return the favor, and you'll show them love in their own dialect.
The key to loving someone is to pay attention to them.
The ways they show compassion, care, and love to you and the greater world are likely the ways they want to be loved in return.
Loving someone with your actions shows a depth of feeling you can't convey easily with words.
Show someone your heart in this way, and there will be no doubt about how you feel.