Count the Ways

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..." states the often cliché phrase which begins the poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. If we can count the ways that we love someone, how do we show it?

I found this couple kissing in front of L'Eglise de la Madeleine. They briefly reminded me of the Periodical section of the Harold B. Lee library, another place where couples seem to like to unscrupulously mack on each other's face. This couple has the most advantageous luck of being in Paris, however, and are therefore infinitely cooler. What I think is interesting, however, is that they are making out in front of a church. I guess location is not a huge factor (that's why it's called PUBLIC displays of affection, right?) but I would feel pretty awkward. Maybe that's just me.



This Chopin aficionado shows her admiration by listening to works by the master musician on her iPod as she pays her respects to his final resting place. The muse on top of the memorial cradles her lute, admiring the instrument that enabled her to experience Chopin's music, while the woman on the left models her example with her iPod, the modern-day instrument through which she enjoys his beautiful music, too.

"S'il vous plaît, je suis franciscainne..." pled this woman near the doors of Notre Dame. The original St. Francis took up a life of poverty to show his devotion to God. He gave up his material possessions to show that he loved God more than any earthly thing.


We usually leave flowers, pictures, notes, and other memorabilia at cemetaries to show those who have gone on ahead that we honor and cherish their memory. This stone was placed at the foot of the grave for a little girl. It reads "God watches on you little angel."


After the death of a loved one, we show our love by remembering them; and sometimes, because we miss them, we visit them. From a young couple making out to a widow mourning for her husband, the way we show our love progresses with us. To finish with the ending of Elizabeth Browning's poem, "Smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death."