by Kathy Panicola

Created on: April 04, 2009

Love, some people throw that word around like you wouldn't believe. How many times do you hear the word love, used in a sentence to give the ultimate explanation. "I love that movie, its my favorite," or at times it is used as an idiosyncrasy, "I love my cat, but..." If you love something there should be no if, ands, or buts, about it.

Love, the truth is its not always the easiest emotion to express, and its not always the easiest emotion to recognize. And unconditional love, well, for some almost impossible. I have gotten into some very interesting conversations with people over this subject. Everyone seems to have their own view on this subject. Love is in the eye of the beholder, and it seems that the explanation of love and unconditional love are too.

For me, I feel blessed because I think I really have found not only love, but unconditional love. I love my husband, I love my children, I even can say I love my cat. The love that my grandson and I have for one another is truly a love that I have never experienced before. My grandson is not the child of any of my biological children, he is the son of my husbands son. My husbands blood runs through his veins, mine how ever doesn't. But I tell you I love that little boy with all that I am. I was there when he was born, waiting with every moment that passed with such anticipation. Finally he was here, oh how I cried with such joy. From the very first moment I held him in my arms, I knew he would be special. Almost automatically everyone around me knew it too. I went home and started making changes in my life right away, because becoming his ma-maw, changed me. It was different than when I went from Miss. to Mrs. It was different than when I went from a young women to being a mother. (you know how people say, "its different now, she's a mother) I don't know how to explain it in words, but I definitely know how I feel.

My grandson brings great joy to my life, joy that fills my heart with such love everyday. Everyone knows it. My kids tell me, they know that no one can ever fill my heart with as much love as my grandson does. And that is true.

When my grandson was a baby, he would express his love for me by throwing his arms in the air, waiting for me to pick him up. As he got older and learned how to talk, when he saw me he would say, "I wuv you." And now that he's older we talk about a number of different things, and one evening while my husband, son, grandson, and I were driving to a restaurant we all got into a conversation about talk shows and how they perform DNA test and paternity test for people to determine who's the daddy. As this conversation went on, my grandson starting asking about if he had testing done on him, what would the results be for him, and his dad, him and his Papaw. And then he turned to me and ask,"Ma-maw what would the test show for us?" I looked at him and sadly replied,"nothing bud, 0%." He sadly look away out the window with a sad look upon his face, feeling as though my heart was going to explode because of the sadness he was feeling I said,"it doesn't matter if we have the same DNA or not your the grandson and I'm the Ma-maw and it doesn't matter to me how that happened it only matters to me that it happened. You know I love you, and I know you love me, and thats what counts." He said,( with that sad little face) "I know, but I really wish the results of the DNA test would be 100%. That was better than any I love you, I have ever been told. It was pure, and Innocent love, true unconditional love.

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