Love is...waking up every morning knowing this is my legacy. I may never be famous but the greatest thing I do in this world is raise my son. Love is singing him to sleep every night. Encouraging his dreams, sharing with him my stories about growing up, teaching him right from wrong, and how no matter how bad things seem, better days will come along. Love is remembering he is still learning how to be himself and (attempting to anyway) staying calm when he tests those boundaries. Love is knowing my greatest fears are for his safety rather than my own. Love is watching kids movies at the Saturday matinee and learning all the super heroes names rather than lounging in a bathtub reading some chick lit and then going to see the movie version of it on a Friday night. Love is being so tired and drained yet still putting on the smile when he comes to show me some new trick he's learned. Love is listening to his laughter as he tells yet another silly knock-knock joke. Love is staying up all night and comforting him when he's hurting, or scared, despite the fact that you have to wake up early the next morning and work. Love is teaching this kid to be an awesome person...
Love is also friendship. Friendships that stand the test of time. Through failed relationships and miles and miles of distance. Love is knowing that there might be easier options but realizing that the one that makes you happiest is the difficult choice. Love is companionship. Love is honesty. Love is swallowing your pride (as painful as that is when you're the headstrong one) and apologizing when you are wrong. Love is passion. Love is fun. Love is being content and realizing that the drama and highs and lows are NOT necessary to be fulfilled. Love is knowing that the simple things make you happy. Love is when you don't know how to cook, so you start trying to learn because you know that he would love it if you would, at least on occasion. Love is cleaning up after a group of boys that really should know better :) Love is insanely spending time in really cold weather and snow just to spend time with the one you love when you really should be home on a beach somewhere...(see below)
Love is a gift. One I don't give freely. Love is family. It's healing and comfort. When I'm having a really, really bad day, hearing "I love you" helps ease my troubles. Love is giving of yourself more than you ever imagined. Love is also pain. And hurt and disappointment, but we can't live without it. Love is the thing that keeps you fighting to live each day, and makes you want to be a better person. Love is compromise, but not compromising yourself, which can be too easily confused. Love means opening up yourself and sharing the most vulnerable places knowing it may come back to bite you, but giving yourself the chance to fall.
As I've gotten older, I've realized how some of my initial misconceptions of love had me thinking that love meant never giving up. But now, I see that sometimes giving up is the best thing you can do to prove you love yourself. Because loving you is just as terrifying and necessary as loving another person. Love is life. Having it and giving it makes everything worthwhile. And I hate sounding cheesy or cliche, so I really hope this doesn't come off that way. Love is the best thing on this earth...something not to be taken for granted. And I pray every day to remember this and to be thankful for the love I have and the love I am able to give.
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