Love, Truly

When it came to love or hate, I have always chosen love. I love vastly and deeply. I love my mother, my grandfather, my family in general, Aaron, his family -- now my extended family, and my friends. That said, I never really understood love until I had my first child.

This does not mean that I love any of the above less or even that I love my child more, somehow. But really, truly, love was a stranger to me even though I held such an abundance of it before this life changing event. I see it purely now, unbridled, as it is meant to be, and I think all of my relationships have benefited from this revelation. Even my interactions with complete strangers are more positive.

Before having a child you may think you know the bounds of love, how to do it unconditionally and freely, but trust me when I say you're only breaking the surface. There is so much more to love and I honestly cannot think of a better way to experience that breakthrough than holding in your hands for the first time a being that depends upon you entirely. A life you created, through love.

Not like a puppy or a kitten that will become self-sufficient in a short order of time, but a brand new person with their own personality, wants, and needs that will depend solely upon you to fulfill them for years to come. A little person who will infuriate you and entertain you and overwhelm you with joy all at once sometimes. Accepting that responsibility and truly owning up to it expanded that word: l-o-v-e to me to such a degree it's really not even explainable, try as I might here to get the message across.

I hope, at the very least, you can appreciate love a little better now. For as much as you experience it daily, there is so much more of it waiting for you, for when you have that breakthrough yourself and realize the sun is indeed a little brighter than you thought it was yesterday.