Three Words: A Short Story

Love is expressed in different ways. Simply remembering this each day helps us to accept and appreciate more, and to judge less.

I am posting a very touching short story from www.heirloomstories.com , "Three Words." The story is about the highest form of love.
The site, www.heirloomstories.com , poses this question to us: “Why doesn't the (following) story contain the word ‘love?’" Their answer to this question is “Because people rarely said ‘I love you’ in those days. They showed it.”

Here’s the story of the Three Words.
"Cossacks are coming!" the terrified young man yelled as he ran through the streets of Tagancha. He came from a nearby town that warm summer afternoon in 1902. His relatives were being murdered as he came to warn ours.
"Cossacks are coming!" were the most frightening words imaginable to Russian Jewish peasants.
Cossacks were members of the Tzar's army, but when they rode into a Jewish town everyone knew it meant trouble. It was best to hide until they left.
Most of the homes had dirt floors but my father's older brother, Yankel, had just built a nicer house. It had a raised wooden floor and porch.
Yankel told everyone to hide under his house but he stayed outside. He knew the Cossacks would search the house unless they thought it was vacant.
When they arrived, he greeted them.
"Where is everyone?" the leader asked.
"I don't know," were his last words. They killed him and left without searching the house.
Uncle Yankel is remembered for his short lifetime of generosity and caring. We owe our lives to him.