Venturing onto my university’s campus with a chalkboard in hand and the rehearsed question, “What does being loved mean to you?” had me pondering hard about what my friends would say to this question. Would they say, “Being loved is getting an ‘A’!”, or “Being loved is having a professor cancel class”? Or would they be a little more thoughtful? Or would they think it would be an uninteresting question to begin with?
Beginning the project with some skepticism, the quest officially started with two classmates. I explained to the girls what my mission was and how it was part of my internship with MFT, Jennine Estes. Showing them the #BeingLOVEDIs board, their faces lit up with excitement and began to brainstorm.
“What a good question! I didn’t think I would be thinking this deep today!” Surprised by their enthusiasm, I pulled out the camera and took a few shots of their thoughtful responses. Geared up now to find more responses I directed myself to the campus admissions building where my older sister works. Surprised again by the much appeal and thoughtful input, my sister and her colleagues impressed me with their much personalized and diverse answers of what it meant for them to be loved.
As I continued to ask more and more students to participate in the project, I couldn’t help but notice their enjoyment in pondering over the question. It was not an answer that immediately came to mind but when the right words did come, students zeroed in on the chalk and began to write.
My friends’ powerful responses overwhelmed me and even broadened by understanding of love. It was wonderful to see my them continue those conversations of what it meant to be loved even after writing their response on the board. My roommates even continued the being loved is conversation when we went out for groceries later that day. It was rewarding to see that question resonate in their hearts. If there is anything that I have taken away from this experience it is that even asking, “What does it mean for you to be loved,” has the power to produce valuable conversations that can spark change in someone’s life.
As for myself, being loved is having someone special choose me to dance all their dances with. So now there is only one question:
What does it mean for you to be loved? Please share on your comments below!
About Alexandra Steele
Alex is an undergraduate student from Point Loma Nazarene University. Being a volunteer, she is learning and developing all the skills that are needed to be an effective Marriage Family Therapist, as she strives to be in the same profession one day. Since high school, she has had a deep yearning to learn and understand the dynamics of relationships, especially with married couples. Alex’s eagerness to work in the counseling field is evident and she looks forward to the process and journey of becoming an MFT. She is a member of The National Honor Society in Psychology and is the captain of the cheer squad at her university.
