I love you!

I've had a couple of conversations with various friends about these three little words (if "I" even counts as a word). We hear them said all the time in various guises. Some people say it freely, other people (and I count myself in this category) are more conservative with our professing of love for others. It's not that I don't 'love' people, it's not that I've had 'love' thrown back in my face. The reason I don't say "I love you" that often is not what you're expecting. It's because I am a hopeless romantic and I believe so deeply in love that I see the words as sacred.
I don't think "I love you" should be tacked onto a farewell, just in case something happens and you never get another opportunity. Saying "I hope you have a great day, I'll see ya tonight" is my way of saying it to Andy as I walk out the door. In saying that, I am conveying that I want him to have a good day, because I want him to be happy and I am looking forward to being with him tonight, because (drum roll please) I love him. I cook him dinner because I love him and I want him to be healthy and nourished, he takes out the rubbish and does the folding because he loves me and understands that a fresh smelling kitchen and neatly folded clothes make me happy.
That's one sort of love, there are heaps of different types. Family, for example. My family very VERY seldom say it to one another, but I have never doubted for a second that they do and vice versa. We do things for one another, we cut articles out of magazines, we buy each other little gifts, we phone each other and we cook meals for each other. These are all tangible ways of saying a big fat "I love you and I have been thinking about you" to each other without ever uttering the words.
My friends know I love them and I know they love me, obviously, given that I have had these conversations, some of them say it to me. Others express it in different ways, much the same as my family, but I know they do.
So what's my point? I suppose I have come to realise that "I love you" is just words, much the same as any combination of words. They can mean everything or they can mean nothing. Make sure if you're going to say it, you say it because you mean it and not because you always have. Better still, don't say it...do it! (interpret that as you will....)