Love Thursday: For Real

Shot during the Shutter Sister Photo Walk this past weekend, San Francisco, California.

Conversation earlier this week in the car after picking Alex up from school:

Alex: Mom?
Me: Child?
Alex: Manish doesn't like me.
Me: Why do you think he doesn't like you?
Alex: Because he's mean to me and he tells lies to me and he's not nice to me.
Me: Hm. Well, you know what, Al?
Alex: What, Mom?
Me: Sometimes, people aren't very nice because they feel like people don't love them. So they're mean because they figure that if no one loves them, they might as well be mean.
Alex: That's why they're mean?
Me: Yup. And sometimes, the best thing you can do to a mean person is love them. You just love them and love them and love them, and then they don't have any choice but to be nice.

Pause.

Alex: Mom?
Me: Yeah, kid?
Alex: I'm going to love Manish tomorrow.
Me: Al, I think that's a great idea.
Alex: Because, Mom? You know what, Mom? You know what?
Me: What's that?
Alex: I'm going to love Manish because love is the coolest thing ever.
Me: That's great, Alex. I think so, too.
Alex: For real.

* * * * * * *

Happy Love Thursday, everyone.  Please leave your links to your images of love in the comments section below, and be sure to check out the great images left by Ivy R and ~anjie for inspiration.

And may you take the time to love someone today.  For real. 

(Full disclosure:  this post was also cross-posted at my personal site.)

Comments

[maile]

oh my, that is beautiful karen.

[SherrysDigitalBliss]

Amazing kid, amazing!

Beautiful photo! I'm putting one up for the first time this week! Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sherrysdigitalbliss/2694883152/

[Erin]

What a great conversation and lovely picture : )

http://fullyalive-readytosmile.com/2008/07/love-thursday.html

[Andie]

Here is mine for the week...a little summer time love as told by my four.
http://wifemotherpainter.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/07/summer-love-a-l.html

[laura - dolcepics]

Such wisdom! Thank you thank you thank you!

http://www.dolcepics.com/dailypic/sun-lovin/

[Christie]

kids are all about the love. Isn't that great?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/enckline/2697237885/

[Chris]

What a great post. I blubbered like an idiot when I read it, especially after my heart-wrenching weekend. You may have seen it before, but for Love Thursday it's just too fitting. For me, anyway.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeroldssis/2691302773/in/set-72157606306756654/

[bleeding espresso]

Coolest thing ever is right :)

My mom came to visit me for a month in southern Italy! So much fun:

http://bleedingespresso.com/2008/07/love-thursday-photo-shoot-with-mom.html

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

[Karen G]

Love is definitely the coolest thing ever!

Happy love thursday!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23132596@N07/2698237936/

[Stephanie]

That is awesome... I love it.

This week, I'm finding love in bunches...

http://raesrambles.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/love-bunches/

[Marcie]

I found a young boy - one morning - standing silently and patiently fishing with his father. Love.

http://bravo.unisonplatform.com/~marciesc/index.php?showimage=465

[pen]

my first love thursday contribution.
hope it's not the last!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/whimsicalviews/2697482535/

[Katherine]

Here's mine - hearts!

http://www.katherinekenny.com/wordpress/?p=361

[Gayle]

Way cool photograph, but the story is even better. Something we should all live by. Thanks for the reminder.

[brittany]

happy love thursday ladies!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/britspit/2666755037/in/set-72157606203266234/

[intensity_too]

Today I share my love for my soulmate.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/intensity_too/2555659778/in/set-72157605463012491/

[kristin]

great talk, and insight! happy LT hugs.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14811117@N02/2697733143/

[margie]

this is a photo of my son lou and my grandson dave. dave is named after my late husband and holds a special place in all of our hearts.

[ELK]

love those priceless insights from our children!
http://redorgray-dependsontheday.blogspot.com/

[mel]

There's a special kind of love between my young kids and their great-grandmother... I think it brings out the very best in all of them.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21106607@N05/2678150002/

[Stephanie D]

Here is my love picture. So funny because I took this last week for my wedding anniversary self portrait!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephd123/2683264962/

[Kathleen]

Well, now I just see them EVERYWHERE. Even making breakfast for my little guy!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ko2008/2698623796/

[e.darcy]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/edarcy/2697378916/

Booking a photo shoot-I start to doubt my abilities. Who am I kidding? What makes me think I can charge people for these? It's all a joke... Maybe I should just give up taking pictures of people and just take pictures of things...
And then I found my firsts, and I think it's going to be okay..

[mnkathy]

Great conversation! Priceless.

My own priceless capture of my two loves on the beach.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25773211@N07/2697841347/

[jfrancis]

Love can take you back.

[Melanie]

Photos of the children of a friend loving some cupcake goodness:
http://www.melandloys.com/blog/2008/7/19/who-loves-a-cupcake.html

[bonggamom]

Great photo! I thoroughly enjoyed walking with you on the ShutterSisters photowalk, Karen! My photo this week was also taken during the photowalk:

http://bonggamom.blogspot.com/2008/07/i-heart-shutter-sisters-photowalk.html

Happy Love Thursday!

[AscenderRisesAbove]

SF... that is near my 'hood; though I have not seen that sculpture before.
Mine: beatles love love love at music in the park
http://ascenderrisesabove.com/wordpress/?p=3981

[Jenny Rebecca]

My entry for this week, rare for me. Something a little different...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fanglord2/2698757198/

[Sarah - Ji]

Great shot, Karen. And I love the conversation you and Alex had. Love IS the coolest thing ever! For real!

http://www.shutterbugmama.com/2008/07/love-thursday-sometimes-hearts-are-blue.html

[angie]

Great story! Alex is very insightful. Not to mention mature. Mine's up: http://graymattersonline.net/2008/07/24/751/

[Angela]

That heart picture is so great! All of these are fantastic...here are my three girls for today...Happy Love Thursday!
http://flickr.com/photos/ang_loves_jesus/2698044877/

[Tanya]

Such a perfect conversation for Love Thursday. For REAL! LOVE that!
LOVE that shot!

http://mias-mama.blogspot.com/2008/07/reluctant-puddle-duck-theme-thursday.html

[Meryl]

Love this picture (and all of the other ones I've had time to peak in on)! What a great moment to capture--the conversation--and what a fun shot from San Francisco!

[Brené]

This LT is about a Grateful Dead bouquet and my little brother! Thanks for the reminder, Alex!

http://ordinarycourage.squarespace.com

[Lan]

nothing profound here... just love for socks ...

http://whatiseeclicks.blogspot.com/2008/07/thursdaylove.html

[tracey]

this is the harded love thursday post I have ever had to share.
http://maypapers.blogspot.com/2008/07/tribute-to-real-love.html
thank you for indulging me. heavy sigh.

[Cocoa]

What a great conversation you had! There is truth to the whole spreading love thing.

We've been cooped up in the house fighting the stomach flu. Last evening we felt well enough to spend a little time outside. I captured this shot of two of my daughters sharing secrets. You can see it on flickr here:
http://flickr.com/photos/7914841@N08/2698170613/

or on my blog here:
http://chocolateonmycranium.blogspot.com/2008/07/sharing-sisterly-secrets.html

[Bridget]

That's beautiful...I love the convo! Here is my entry on my blog for Love Thursday... check it out! :)

http://mamabelly.blogspot.com/

[Kath]

I seem my sister commented earlier with her photo of my nephew and great-nephew - here is an easy link to our site

http://3yrplan.typepad.com/soeursdujour/

Kath

[Artie]

How sweet! Happy LT
http://tranafamily.blogspot.com/

[trupeach]

such a wise mother and son.

here's my pic of my love:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13818098@N00/292651096/in/set-72157605203049453/

[Erin]

Great picture and story! Mine is up too:

http://greeneyedgirl22.blogspot.com/2008/07/love-thursday_24.html

[cotterpin]

A bittersweet picture today...Happy for me, sad for my husband.
Happy LT!

http://cotterpinhouse.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/when-johnny-comes-marching-home-again/

[tangobaby]

My first Love Thursday offering! I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the love here, and contributing more. Thank you, Karen, for the great inspiration.

[tangobaby]

Ooops, I forgot my link:

http://tangobaby2.blogspot.com/2008/07/love-thursday-1.html

[Lawyer Mama]

Awwwww, that's so sweet.

I have pics from the same heart. It was too good to miss for Love Thursday!

http://flickr.com/photos/lawyermama/2698509371/
http://flickr.com/photos/lawyermama/2698510179/in/photostream/

[Amy]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickersonphotos/2698314075/
Roses always make me feel loved...

[Joanna]

Beautiful shot. I love all reds in the shot.
This is my first contribution to Love Thursday as well.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/luckysnap/2668035286/in/set-72157606094501934/

[Christina]

The beauty of that conversation sends chills down my spine. Wow!