A friend of mine, Laura Oliver, recently published an article in The Talbot Spy entitled Love is an Action Verb. That phrase stayed with me.

Yesterday I spoke with my granddaughter. She is sixteen years old, finishing her sophomore year, and squeezing every possible moment from her day. She had exactly five minutes to talk before leaving for her internship.

I, on the other hand, had nowhere to be.

The contrast made me smile.

At sixteen, life is a whirlwind of classes, deadlines, friends, family commitments, and the endless small urgencies that seem so important.

Then life moves on. College arrives. Careers begin. Families grow. Children become adults and have children of their own. The years fill with responsibilities and obligations, and before we know it, we find ourselves standing where our parents once stood – on the other side of young.

When I was in college, I called my parents every Sunday. It was simply what I did. Somewhere along the way, those regular calls became occasional ones. I called when I had time.

As I thought about Laura’s phrase, I found myself wondering how well I had practiced it during those busy years. I certainly said “I love you,” but did I always make the phone call, attend every event that mattered, or stop what I was doing long enough to listen with my full attention?

I would like to say yes, but I know the answer: no, not always.

Now I understand something I couldn’t fully appreciate then: making the call is part of loving. Showing up is part of loving. Listening is part of loving. Love is not only what we feel. It is what we do. Love is an action verb.

So yesterday, I was grateful for those five minutes with my granddaughter. Even though we were thousands of miles apart, through the miracle of a video screen, I watched her finish getting ready for her day.

Then she looked into the camera and asked, “How do I look, Nonna?”

I smiled. “You look beautiful, my babydoll. You look just beautiful.”

And as we said goodbye, I realized that those few hurried minutes were their own small act of love – hers in making time for me, and mine in being there when she did.