-To have a deep, tender feeling of affection and solicitude toward (a person)
-To have a feeling of intense desire and attraction toward (a person)
-To have an intense emotional attachment to
-To embrace
-To like or desire enthusiastically
-To have charity for
-To thrive on; need; to experience deep affection or intense desire for another.
But when you include the period, the expression loved. takes on an entirely new definition.
And for TechFire225, loved. is so much more than just a word.
David J. Stickler met TechFire225 at the 2013 FIRST World Championship where he attended as the representative of NRG Energy, major sponsor of FIRST. David enthusiastically pledged his support for Team 225 and spent several months helping TechFire develop a nonprofit organization, TechFire Robotics of York. David's leadership on our recently formed board of directors was invaluable and his friendship and service to the community will serve as an ongoing inspiration to the many lives he touched.
David passed away unexpectedly in October of 2013. At his Celebration of Life, every speaker shared similar stories about David and his passion for helping others, giving of himself, influencing people to serve and many stories about his intense desire to help people to improve. If you knew David and spent any time with him, you were a better person as a result.
So what does loved. have to do with David J. Stickler?…everything.
It was a few Sundays before he died. David came home from a Gathering at LCBC Church in York, PA and he pulled out his phone to show his family a sticker with the word loved. . He was excited because he had something good to share. David said, “Do you know what the most important part is? Not the word, but the period! Because God loves us, not matter what, period.” He then asked his wife Theresa and his three children Becca, Joe and Sarah to each place a loved. sticker on the back of their phones so they could be reminded of the message often. And if anyone would ask what it was about, they would have an opportunity to share its true meaning. One of Sarah’s friends was with the family and said she would like to have one. The next week, David had a sticker for her and a bunch more. He said, “we are going to start a revolution with these!” As usual, David was right.
So that’s the story.
God loves every human being…period.
No matter what we have done…
No matter what anyone else thinks…
No matter how we feel about ourselves…
God loves us all…period.