What did your parents teach you about love?

@ELLEANDIZZY snapped this unfiltered photo of her family. Share your real moments on Instagram with the hashtag #womenIRL.

Q.

What didyour parents teachyou about love?

A.

It starts at home.

My parents taught me that the best way to show my children love is by loving my spouse.

KRISTY BRANSCUM, Conway, Arkansas

Love crosses over religious, social, economic, and political lines.

STACEY ALLEN MOORE, Henderson, Nevada

Love unconditionally. My parents have been married 65years. I learned that the secret to a lasting marriage is respect, admiration, and patience. Lots of laughter helps, too!

SUSAN COYNE, Hamilton,New Jersey

The golden rule.

When it comes to love, my parents taught me to be accepting, be patient, and, above all, be kind.

MARIA SPERANZA, Los Angeles

RELATIONSHIPS ARE NEVER 50/50. IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL, YOU HAVE TO GO ALL IN. IF IT’S NOT 100/100, IT WILL NEVER WORK. THANKS, MOM AND DAD.

MARY GREEN-DURBIN, Centerburg, Ohio

She taught me love is not about how you feel. It’s what you do and how you do it.

@BEBEBIRDIE

Forgivenessis vital.

It’s a must for individual healing, new blessings, clarity in life, renewing faith, and rebuilding trust.

RITA DUMAS, Louisville, Kentucky

Love was my dad coming home with surprise candy bars for me and my brother. It was being tucked in and given a kiss good night. Love was Dad with his corny jokes and great sense of humor. And it was seeing the love and admiration he had for my mother. He was love.

CLAIRE FAY MILLER, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania

I was adopted, and my parents taught me that love is unconditional and that family comes in many forms.

KELLY BARNEY, Battle Creek, Michigan

Dinner MadeSimple

35 EverydayIngredients, 350 EasyRecipes

by the Editorsof For a chance to win our latest book, follow @womenIRL on Instagram.

Love is letting you have the last bite of chocolate cake.

MIMI SINAGOGA, Dover, New Hampshire

It doesn’t have to endwith divorce.

Even though my parents parted ways after 18 years of marriage, they continued to care about, support, and stay in touch with each other for the rest of their lives. They moved on to other marriages, but my holidays were spent with all of us together—both my parents, their new spouses, and their kids.

LORI J.WYRICK, Vancouver, Washington

On their 50th anniversary, my parents were asked what the secret to their marriage was. “Respect,” they said. My mother said there might have been times over the years when they didn’t like one another, but they always had respect for each other.

BRENDA THOMPSON, Pittsburgh

Love is an action.

MY DAD INGRAINED IN ME THAT LOVE IS NOT A FLEETING EMOTION. IT’S ABOUT PUTTING SOMEONE ELSE’S NEEDS BEFORE YOUR OWN.

HOLLY R. LAYER, East Aurora,New York

Dedication.

MY MOTHERWAS ILL WHENI WAS A TEENAGER,AND MY DAD WORKEDFULL-TIME ANDTOOK CARE OF HER AND THREEGIRLS.

DEBBIE WNUK, Rehoboth,Massachusetts

UPCOMING QUESTION If you could add an extra day to the week, how would you spend it?

Go to realsimple.com/yourwords and let us know your answer. It could appear on these pages.

Popular science

In The Perpetual Now, journalist Michael D. Lemonick introduces Lonni Sue Johnson, an artist who was left severely amnesiac after encephalitis. She now lives permanently in the present: Her memories are wiped clean about every 15 minutes. Through sharing Johnson’s compelling story, Lemonick delivers a fascinating lesson that deepens our appreciation for our own memories.

Great for book club

Inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s 1948 painting Christina’s World, novelist Christina Baker Kline’s A Piece of the World paints an imagined portrait of the real woman whose image is so widely known. It’s a gorgeous read.

The short list

FIVEBOOKS THAT WON’TDISAPPOINT

Literary fiction

At the start of Katie Kitamura’s spellbinding novel A Separation, a couple has split up. But when the husband disappears in Greece, the wife reluctantly agrees to look for him. As her search goes on, she discovers that she knew less about the man she married than she thought.

Life guide

Think of The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down as ancient Buddhist philosophy for the modern age. Korean monk Haemin Sunim offers profound but relatable wisdom on coping with the daily grind—and on keeping sight of what really matters. Leave this book on your nightstand to clear your head before bed.

Happiness handbook

Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) is a Danish term that loosely translates to “a feeling of coziness and contentment.” Since Denmark ranked number one in the 2016 World Happiness Report, Meik Wiking’s The Little Book of Hygge—which recommends croquet, wool socks, and candlelight— may just be your passport to bliss.

Written by

Liz Loerke

Photograph by

Aaron Dyer