by Melissa Bagley

Created on: May 31, 2008

Love is something that is hard to define. People try to explain it all of the time. Do we ever really achieve it? There are all kinds of love to be had in this world. I have friends that I love. I drink coffee with them and we do things together. The bond that holds us is tied by strings of tine and space. Time that we spent with each other. We raised children together, did crafts, worked and played. When my daughter was hit by a car, my friend and I went through it together. When her daughter had a seizure, it was the same way. That kind of love is special and strong. Did it survive everything? Well, right now we don't see a lot of each other. My opinions and hers don't match. My work schedule and hers are too hectic. But I would be there if she needed me. We might not always agree, but the bond is still there.

When I found my husband, my life changed forever. In a way that I have never felt for another person before or since I found something that I could not live without. I met him and loved him when he kissed me. He made me cry harder than anyone ever has before in the history of me. It was because I loved him that my life was tied to him with something that could not die. I could not let go. Would not let go. For anything. I would have followed him through fire, water, ice, hail, storms. Anything. Even after years and years, that kind of love keeps me here. I am with him because of the love that I have inside of me for him. Is it a perfect life? Hardly. But I find strength in waking up with him in the morning and going to sleep beside him at night.

Then there was the day I had children. The love I share with my husband is different in so many ways. It is fierce. It is almost consuming. I love my kids enough to walk through fire, eat glass and stand on nails. I would not hesitate to die for them in a heartbeat without a second thought. And the pain they have caused me is paramount. I spent my entire life wanting children. I loved them before I knew them and never imagined that someday they wouldn't love me back. I thought as long as I lived they would want me in their lives and the chain would never be broken. Now I know that that is not true. All the love we shared has seemed to die on their parts. They are teenagers. I am old. I am dumb. I am nothing compared to their friends. I am living in devastation. My whole world is shattered with the abscence of their laughter. I miss them so very much. But I won't stop loving, stop hoping, stop believing. That is the love I have for them. I will watch them walk away with grief. But I will not let go of the love I have for them.

Love is like a multi-faceted Jewel. It sparkles and reflects the rainbows of our lives in all sorts of ways. It shows us ourselves and shines in the darkness. True love is action. Without it we die unfulfilled and grief-stricken. The heart who has no love is the one that is most to be pitied and to be feared. The absence of love is terrifying. All our days and all our lives are defined by how much we found this one little thing: love.

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