love deserves to be shown, not just spoken

there’s an ache that comes from hearing the words “i love you” without feeling their weight. sometimes love sounds perfect in theory—soft, reassuring, familiar—but words, when left unaccompanied, begin to lose their strength. they echo instead of embrace. they become whispers instead of warmth. love isn’t meant to stay trapped in sentences; it’s meant to move, to live, to be felt.

love, in its truest form, is built on consistency. it’s the gentle checking in, the thoughtfulness in small moments, the quiet effort that says you matter. it’s the way someone shows up even when the world is loud and life is heavy. it’s not always grand or poetic—sometimes it’s simply choosing to care, again and again, without needing a reason.

and yet, asking for proof of love can feel terrifying. we’re taught to accept words as enough, to be grateful for declarations even when the actions don’t align. but there’s nothing wrong with wanting love to show up. there’s nothing shameful about needing reassurance, about saying, please, show me you mean it. reassurance isn’t insecurity—it’s intimacy. it’s the vulnerability that builds trust. it’s saying, i want to believe you, but i need to feel it too.

love isn’t proven through perfection; it’s proven through presence. through patience. through effort that continues even when it’s inconvenient. love doesn’t hide behind phrases—it manifests in the way someone speaks to you when they’re angry, the way they listen when you’re quiet, the way they keep showing up even when the world tells them not to bother.

and if you’ve ever felt that ache—that uncertainty between word and action—know this: it doesn’t make you hard to love. it makes you aware. it means your heart has learned what truth feels like and refuses to settle for anything less.

you deserve a love that’s visible, tangible, and steady. one that doesn’t ask you to guess its intentions or carry all the faith alone. a love that shows up in the sunlight and the storm. a love that doesn’t just say, i love you, but proves it through consistency, patience, and care.

because the most powerful love is the one that stays soft.
it speaks in actions, not just promises.
it doesn’t demand you trust blindly—it gives you reason to.
and when it says i love you, you won’t have to ask if it’s true.
you’ll already know.

with ink + bloom, 🌻