How many times have you said these three words today? This week? In your life?

How many times have you been told these words by others?

In that Snow Patrol song, “Chasing Cars,” the lyrics say, “Those three words/ are said too much/ they’re not enough.” While I love the song and think it’s very beautiful, I don’t agree.

I would wage that the words are not said enough. I think if you told each person you love that you love them every day of your life, it probably still wouldn’t be enough. Remember that saying, “Nobody has ever loved anybody the way everybody wants to be loved”? I’m not sure I agree with that either, but I think it comes close to capturing the sentiment that we all want to be loved, to feel love, and to express love—and to do it often.

Recently I’ve come into contact with people who claim that they are unloved, and unimportant. I’ve met or known people who feel as if they are very alone and much unappreciated. I know how they feel, because I’ve felt that so many times in my life that I’m embarrassed to even count them.

But you know what? When it all comes down to it, we really are loved. We often don’t even know how much we’re loved, or by whom, and when we discover it, we are simply amazed. Yesterday I had a conversation with a loved one that made me cry happy tears. I had no idea that I meant this much to this person, even though she means the world to me as well. Just knowing how she feels about me made my entire day that much brighter, easier, lovelier.

Think of all of the people you love. It’s very probable that they love you back. Add a person to each of those people—people you may not know well, or perhaps simply be acquainted with—and it’s very possible that these people love you, too. If we all took part in a six degrees of separation experiment, but included people we love and people who love us instead of simply “know,” I think we’d all be pleasantly surprised by the results.

Don’t be afraid to use those words. That doesn’t mean to be reckless with your heart—particularly in romantic love—but feel free to love, and to give and share love whenever and wherever you go. And by all means, tell the people you love them that you do, and how much they mean to you, immediately--and daily.

And if you haven’t heard it in a while, here is a gift to you: