What is love?

Did you know that the word love is one of the most googled on the internet? What is love? I think so many ask that question, and I think so many have their own definition. The wikipedia defines the word love as an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. I think love is something so powerful, it is one of God's ultimate gift to us. I think to love, you must first love yourself. I think love mostly displays it's wonder and it's beauty when found in the intimate relationship between two people. Love is something that transforms you, it changes who you are as a person. There are those who have loved for only a short time and those who have loved a lifetime. To me, love is much more then an emotion, it is something that will forever change your life. No matter the outcome, when we love, our hearts are forever transformed.
Have you ever taken the time to stop and look around you? I am sure that no matter where you are, if you look hard enough, you will find love. I like to gaze upon those new in their relationship. I am always taken back. I am reminded of my youth. I mostly think back to the time my husband and I first started dating. I wanted to make sure I looked my best at all times. My hair, my clothes and makeup just had to be perfect. Friday and Saturday nights were always looked forward too. They were typically date nights. We just wanted to be in each other's presence. I guess it's like trying a new food for the first time...once you have discovered it's wonderful flavor, it's hard to stop coming back for more.
When I think about love, I also think about my son. I think about this wonderful creation that was given to me. I see his sweet face and it brightens up my day. There are times when I find myself just sitting there looking at him and praising God that he is mine. My heart is overflowed with unspeakable joy. He is my sunshine. There is never a dull moment with this kid. In my eyes he is perfect. It's an innocent kind of love, and I never thought my heart could love so much. It reminds me of the movie, How the Grinch Stole Christmas...it's like my heart has grown three times it's size. He is my world and I would be lost without him.
I also think about the elderly when the word love comes to mind. I love to sit and people watch from time to time. You can learn a lot just by sitting and watching someone. This especically rings true while watching elderly couples. I am new at my place of work, but from time to time I get to "people watch" from the front window of the office. Friday while at work, there just so happened to be an elderly couple sitting in our lobby. The gentlemen is a resident of ours and his wife and kids had stopped in for a visit. The two love birds sat by the window in the corner of the room. Both their bodies appear fragile and pale, but their love for one another lit up the room. Both sat in silence for awhile. They mostly gazed upon one another. The gentlemen took his wife's hand and placed it in his. As they sat there, he gently stroked his aged fingers across her hand. I couldn't help, but to think about my Pawpaw. This brought an emotion of tears and joy all at the same time. I sat quietly and watched them through the window. They were both in love and it didn't seem to matter who was around them. I finally heard the gentlemen ask his wife if she wanted to go back to his room. He was concerned about her because she was cold.
As I sat and watched, my mind was full of all kinds of thoughts. Mostly about what I will be like when I am old and grey. I thought about Jeremy and our love for one another. Will we still have the same kind of love in our hearts? I also thought about my life and what I would do if I ever lost my husband? When you are young those sort of things seem to be the farthest from your mind. What would I do and who would I be without him? I know the day will come when we will have to say our goodbyes, but it is my hope and my prayer that it is when we are much older. Maybe our love is strong enough to carry us both home together. No matter the cost, or when that day comes, I would have much rather loved then to have been alone.
I think God has someone special out there for all of us. Some of us may get to experience the power of love before others, but no matter what, when we love with our hearts, whether today or tomorrow, we as humans are forever changed.
John 3:16 says that God loves us so much that he was willing to give his own son, so that we might have eternal life. I don't think there is any love greater then that. "We are each of us angels with only one wing. And we can fly only by embracing each other." -Luciano de Crescenzo
What is love?