love 1.  strong affection for another person.  2. sexual desire, or its gratification.  3. an object of love; sweetheart.  4. a feeling of warm personal attachment, as a friend, parent, child, etc.  5. a strong liking for anything: love of books.  6. Tennis, etc. nothing, no score.  7.  for the love of, for the sake of.  8. in love feeling deep passion  9.  make love to have sexual intercourse  10. to feel love for

 

My, no wonder there is so much confusion about love and what it is to us as individuals.  I wonder which of the above best describes what you feel?  For me it has only added more mystery to the interpretation of one of the simplest words and also one of the most used words in our vocabulary!

 

I can see why people look at me a little strangely when I say something along the lines of “I love the way you do that” do they immediately think they are giving me sexual gratification? or “I love you, my friend” are they thinking it is just a strong liking for anything – something I throw around lightly? or even when I tell my children, which I do very regularly, “I love you” do they immediately think, “oh… that is a nothing, no score“?  Obviously these are example which have been deliberately put out of context, however, the point I am trying to make is with so many different interpretations, how can love not become a bit of a mind field for those who dare to tread there?  If I say to the person who means most in the world to me “I love you, darling” what is he supposed to think?  Does he run through the 10 points above and see which fits best for the moment? 

 

Now for my most profound thoughts for the day… love is all of the above, yes. 

 

Love in a spiritual sense is all there is…an acceptance of what is and an allowing it to be this way.  No judgment, equality, understanding.  Love conquers all and brings light into even the darkest of places. It has the power to eradicate war, cruelty, and all that is perceived as evil. Love is the ultimate way to be.

 

For the loves of my life, my children, the love I have is the most protective and overwhelmingly humbling feeling that can be experienced.  The fact that I (and their father) was responsible for bringing them into the world; for raising them; for instilling in them what I can only hope are good values and morals; seeing them grow into two wonderful young adults of whom I am extremely proud…yes, I do have a strong affection for them and a feeling of warm personal attachment.  They are of my body, of my blood; they will always be my children – no matter what happens in life this cannot be altered.  My children have given me the gift of experiencing a Mother’s love.  For this I am ever grateful.

 

For my friends, the love I have is never given lightly.  My friends, my real friends, know that I care deeply for them.  They know that I have a strong affection for them and a warm personal attachment.  There are friends I see daily, there are friends I may not see or speak to for very distant intervals.  My love for them is not gauged on the amount of contact we have.  It is about the depth of feeling we share.  Those who know me well know that I am a very tactile person.  The more I like you, the more I touch.  This is not a sexual thing, it is an expression of my affection for you, my love for you. A hug from a friend is a gift to be treasured.  I tell my friends I love them.  Some find this a little uncomfortable, as they are not used to love being so openly expressed. Maybe they are interpreting it as number 2. above!  Maybe they wonder if I have some secret sexual fantasy about them!  I can understand them being shocked if that is the interpretation they use.  Friends really are what gives us strength to get through each day.  The love we share is a balance of giving and receiving.

 

My love for nature is the most challenging to define.  I have an overwhelming warm affection for what is all around me.  Being a country girl, I have an affinity with the land.  I love to lean against a tree and draw strength from it…from deep within the earth.  I feel the vibration of nature uplift me.  I love the sound of water running in a stream; the feel of it washing over me.  I love the feel of the sunshine warming me through.  I love to watch the moon at night, to wonder who else might be watching it also.  To feel a warm breeze on my skin in summer; the feel of cold crisp air on my cheeks in winter, both make me feel invigorated and alive.  Nature is one thing I could not live without.  My time in nature, away from concrete buildings and narrow streets bustling with people who are so absorbed in their own lives that they are not even aware that you are there, let alone willing to acknowledge you, is what keeps me sane.  Even in the city I manage to find places that make my heart sing, places where I can happily spend time absorbing the energy until it overflows and is returned to where it is has come from.  Only then am I truly at peace.  This to me is love in it’s purest form.

 

Now for the love of a woman to a man and reciprocated in kind. That love which is sought by all of us. Some are fortunate enough to have found what they are happy to accept as love for we all have very different interpretations and none of us are wrong.  That is wonderful and I wish you all the happiness in the world, this is no less than any of us deserve.  This love to me is a culmination of all of the above.  It is the feeling of protectiveness that comes from the love of the one so close that they feel as though they are of your own blood.  It is the giving and receiving of a very special friendship.  It is the ultimate strong affection for another person; sexual desire, or its gratification; it is being an object of love; sweetheart to another; doing things for the love of, for the sake of another; in love feeling deep passion for that special person; someone you want to make love to have sexual intercourse as opposed to having sex; definitely someone to feel love for.  To me, if I love my partner, I can see him…all of him, the “good” and the “bad” and still strong affection for him; without love we judge and dislike that which does not suit us, with love we do not judge, we accept and embrace all that they are.  I have a strong sexual desire for them as the sharing of our bodies is the ultimate gift of pleasure.  The opening of ones heart, the ultimate gift of trust…with love comes a vulnerability which cannot be matched.  It is trusting another to accept you as you are, not as they want you to be. Nothing is more precious than the words “I love you” from one who who makes your heart sing.  Love is hearing his voice and melting inside; catching his eye and knowing what is in his mind; seeing desire reflected there for you alone; talking for hours, about anything because you do not want the conversation to finish; sitting in silence and being comfortable doing so; seeing things with a different perception but still sharing the experience.  Love is not something we choose, we have no say in who we connect with.  Love is worth fighting for…though not to the point of destruction. Love is  two minds, two bodies and two spirits entwined  Love is a lesson for us all.  A journey shared by two of equals walking side by side joined by the simplest and yet most complex thread…LOVE.