A man once explained that the highlight of his day was when he returned home from work. His dog would almost knock him down, jumping into his arms. She would lick his face and follow him everywhere he went. She would curl up next to him all night while he watched TV. Then, he quietly said to his friend, “I wish my wife would be that happy to see me—just once.” It was then that he realized he’d spoken out loud what he had been thinking, and he was totally embarrassed. “…Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34 NKJV).

We all need to know that someone loves and appreciates us. Sadly, we too often take for granted those who mean the most to us. Do we affirm them with kind words, encouragement, and love? Or do we often think kind things but forget to say them? We need not jump up into their arms and lick their faces, but we do need to let them know how we feel. We can learn a lot from our pets as we remember to outwardly express affection to our loved ones.