Ten years ago I came home from Portugal–where I had lived for 2 years with my family on a mission for our Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I learned more, felt more, and grew more in those two short years than I could ever have imagined. Who I am now was shaped there and I look back on those memories, the people, the missionaries, the ocean, the lighthouse, and the country with “saudades” too poignant to express.
So when my sweet friend requested me to hand-letter this sign for her, I was thrilled. “Eu te amo” is the beautiful phrase that means “I love you.”
“Eu te amo” was a phrase I grew to love as a child because my Father had served a mission there when he was 19 and told us he loved us in Portuguese all the time. Now I say it to my own children and perhaps they will say it to theirs.
Do you have a beloved language in which you could say “I love you”? Even if you’ve never lived in or visited a different country, you could still pick a language that you love. I encourage you to learn how to say “I love you” in your chosen language and then say it often. Make it your special family code of love.
I love you all!!
xoxo,
Jamie
