“I love you”, a phrase meant to show the appreciation of something or someone in your life. Something that you have to be grateful for, someone that brings value into your life. Like a mother to a child, a son to a father. If that’s the case, why do my parents never say it? I never heard those words growing up, I only saw it.

They don’t say it not because they don’t love me, but because they were never told those words growing up themselves. I can’t tell you why they never heard it, but I know for a fact, that my parents, especially my dad, aren’t good at expressing their love vocally. They express themselves in acts of service. That’s why my dad fixes my bike after a rough argument, or why my mom cuts pears on a hot summer’s day. They can’t express themselves vocally, but their actions speak louder than any word in the whole universe.