Thursday, November 6

Love is…

Ah…love. It’s what we all want right? Love. Amour. Liebe. Dragoste. It’s known all around the world. But really…can YOU tell me what love is?

Oh, I’m sure you can list off the FEELINGS of love and when you’re in love. But can you tell me what love is?

Let’s go back to the amazing Mr. Webster…

Love is… (1): strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties (2): attraction based on sexual desire: affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3): affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests

Yup…there you go. I’m done now. :-)

There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of songs written about love. There are love poems, love stories, love movies, “Dummy” books on love, guides, workbooks, retreats, ad nauseum. The interesting thing is that no one seems to agree on WHAT love is. Webster just now defines love as affection and attraction. Is that it to love? Is love REALLY just a hormonal response to another person or thing?

In typical Webster fashion, he’s defined the term logically. Unfortunately…Love is anything but logical.

“Hard to get
Impossible to hold
Straight and narrow
Like a burning fuse
In a long cold dawn
By the side of the road
A hopeless case
A perfect thing”
– “Love is” - Allanah Myles

It seems that for the human heart, love is simply a mass of contradictions and confusions. There doesn’t seem to be any sort of logical or even understandable reasons as to why a person feels love for someone and nothing for another. It’s this confusion that makes love such a difficult thing to nail down. Just like nailing jell-o to the wall. :-)

Maybe that’s part of the power of love? Maybe it’s BECAUSE we can’t know exactly what it is that we yearn for it so completely?

“If you could come up with a clinical definition, it wouldn't be love.” – SN

So what’s YOUR experience with understanding love? I know SOME of the ways people describe it…inner happiness, a wanting for another to always be there, a sharing of every part of yourself with another, and even pain, tears, and sadness.

“They say it’s a blessing, they say it’s a gift
They say it’s a miracle
And I believe that it is
It conquers all, but it’s a mystery

Love breaks your heart
Love takes no less than everything
Love makes it hard
And it fades away so easily”
– “Love is” - Vanessa Williams

A mystery, an unknowable, a convolution of conflicting emotions and thoughts…yup, it’s jell-o on the wall. :-)

Love isn’t sterile, or really definable, I think. It’s different for everyone and can be the greatest blessing, and yet, also the greatest weapon. It’s a grand combination of all your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, wants, everything that makes you, you. Love…true, unconditional love, is something that involves an entire person. It can’t be separated into component parts, because love can’t be broken into pieces. You can’t just think love for someone anymore than you can just feel love for another person. Contrary to what the world wants you to believe, true love doesn’t come in shades and degrees. It is whole and complete and simply a beautiful thing to experience.

I pray for all my readers that you find and experience unconditional love in your life. It’s a hard thing to come by, and most of us don’t believe it when it does show up. Keep your eyes open and give love unconditionally when you can.

And remember…I love each and every one of you too.

1 comment:

Rosalind said...

Brandon, love was the motivating force I lived my life by!!! Unfortunately, that love was toxic and conditional:(. Fortunately I see the error of my ways and I choose to love unconditionally. At times it hurt like hell, but I'm convinced it is worth it.

I receive your precious gift. I love you!!

Rosalind