We have a heart capable of loving, of being moved by other people… Life is a learning process in this sense. We all need to feel loved to develop well, and to learn to love those close to us.

“Man is a creature with a mystery in his heart that is greater than himself,” notes Hans Urs Von Balthasar.

And what is the heart? Perhaps it could be said that it is the “nerve center” of each person, their most intimate and personal center. The “seat” of the person.

What truly fulfills us are good relationships with others: being understood and listened to, being taken into account, kind treatment from others, thoughtful gestures and affection… etc. Everyone needs to feel loved: it’s an important basic need.

It is essential to put our heart, as well as our head, into our interactions with others . We must all notice and feel that affection, the foundation of healthy personal development. That is to say, as individuals called to something noble, something great.

Each of us possesses an enormous capacity to love and bring joy , which we must put into action around us. We learn to love within our own families, from a very young age, thanks to the reciprocal love of our parents: the origin of life and a source of personal growth throughout our lives. Such affection is never superfluous; on the contrary.

At home, through conversation, children learn to listen, understand, and empathize, building truly human relationships. By considering the feelings and affections of others, they can then better support one another.

This is how sensitivity and understanding develop , along with personality, and one learns to love with a big heart where everyone fits, starting with the person next to you.

When one feels truly loved, one is strengthened and “illuminated” from within, and is able to act excellently, give one’s all and give one’s best, thinking of others.

Considering the heart is very important: the center and root of the person. Their innermost core. The foundation of the personality, as Ortega explains. We come into this world with heartfelt preferences and longings for goodness and beauty . Personal dignity is very high, incomparable to other realities. In the heart, things are weighed, and harmony is given to the various faculties and facets of the personality. Each person is “worth” what their heart is worth, and “weighs” what they love. As Augustine of Hippo said…

A great thinker who left an immense legacy, John H. Newman, placed great importance on the heart and the imagination. One of his mottos is: “the heart speaks to the heart.” It is essential to know how to listen, understand, empathize, and connect with others. This is especially true within the family, the first and foremost affective and emotional “school,” where cherished memories are created that bring joy.

And the importance of imagination : a means to understanding reality. Newman said that imagination is an inner power that has been given to us, perhaps the most important, capable of giving life to ideas , of contemplating and “realizing”  reality. That is, of “raising” it, of lifting it up, so that we can know it. It is also an essential capacity for understanding immaterial realities: that which we do not see, touch, but glimpse. Our mind can imagine a concept we have never seen in order to try to grasp that reality, with the heart. Not only with the intellect…

We can make good use of that imagination, capable of combining elements creatively, focused on taking care of the people close to us, especially in the family.

Imagination connects with emotions and the heart . Emotions are present in our lives, permeate reality, and speak to the heart. And this is the link to imagination. As this author points out, “the heart is usually reached not through reason, but through imagination .”   Therefore, if we want to reach a person’s heart, we should use our imagination, think about how they are feeling, what they need, what dreams they have… how to care for them and help them. And how they like to be loved… in “their” own way.

The heart speaks directly to the heart. It activates and resonates with another heart : it empathizes and is moved. We improve through personal interaction, by thinking of others and offering the affection we possess, like a seed that must expand and bear fruit. The boundaries of the heart are impregnable… but with love, they expand, grow, and beautify that person. And they help others, making the world a more welcoming, nobler, more humane place.

How important it is to understand and consider these aspects of the most intimate part of the human being, and to make them resonate harmoniously. With each person, in their own way. To guess the language that most “reaches” that particular individual.

Moreover, Pascal warns us that the heart has its reasons that reason does not understand… It is a valuable, genuinely human world to explore, preserve and cultivate.

Cultivating it means learning to value it and channel it into what truly matters, with noble affections that enrich and improve us. For this human potential yearns for beauty , which is the splendor of truth and goodness; that which attracts us and illuminates our entire lives. And it is toward this that we long to look… We feel its inner calling, those yearnings of the soul that never cease.

The innate wisdom of the heart helps us to connect with others, to think of them, to be better, to achieve a more fulfilling personality . And as a result, we will be happier.

One way to take care of all this is through the small details , which give us “the pulse” of that affection.

When you truly love someone, it’s  expressed  in everyday life. And there are different ways to do it: with words, affection, friendship, small gestures and thoughtful acts throughout the day, so that the other person, or others, feel comfortable and loved.

Because when someone feels loved,  they are able to mature, improve, and achieve their full potential.  And to give generously. That’s why it’s so important to show affection and love ; it’s a way for the other person to feel their own greatness and to soar high, dreaming of eternity…

And only by loving the other person unconditionally, just as they are, without expecting them to be perfect or conform to “our way,” can we help them  be themselves. And, starting from their talents and qualities , they can improve.

One is truly happy to the extent that one cares for others with genuine, heartfelt love . That ‘s why it’s important to pay attention to the details: they are what create a family atmosphere , transforming a cold house into a real, joyful home where one feels comfortable and wants to return.

Let us be sowers of peace and optimism wherever we are. May no one leave our presence without noticing that open smile, born from the heart, that attentive affection focused on the tangible. The warmth generated by these small acts of kindness makes people feel valued and allows them to unleash their wonderful potential.

Therefore, let’s think each day about what specific gestures and details we will show to those we live with. In this way, with these small actions, day by day, we cultivate habits and virtues of generosity, empathy, service, and so on, building close relationships where it is more pleasant to be around, and easier to strive to give the best of ourselves.