Defining Love

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Defining Love

What does the word love mean? I have heard it since childhood, but nobody seems to have the same definition. I really needed to know today because someone very special has been on my mind all day. I stopped by the Hallmark store to pick out an anniversary card for my wife and found myself amazed at all the different types of cards on love. There are ones for fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, pastors, friends, coworkers, and just about anyone else you could think of. All of these different cards for love really made me start wondering if I knew what true love really was.

When I was a young child, my mom and dad always tucked me into bed at night and said, "I love you, Markie." All I knew is that those four little words made me feel safe and secure. Even when I started to get older and go out at night on a date or with the boys, Mom and Dad always said, "Be careful, and we love you." I never gave it much thought.

Then a different kind of love hit me. A girl said she loved me, and I could have done a cartwheel right there on the spot. My heart began to pound, my knees to weaken, and I scrambled for words. All I could say was gibberish. Man, I was in love! Every time we got together I had to look just right: every single hair combed in its place, shirt tucked in, shoes shined, and me looking like a new-crisped ten-dollar bill. But this relationship was not meant to be; she dumped me like a ton of rocks. My heart was broken, and I felt so hurt. My mom and dad tried to console me by explaining what they called "puppy love.' They said it happens to everyone who thinks he or she has found true love for the very first time. I decided if love hurt that badly I didn't want any thing to do with it. I later learned that what I felt for this girl is just another form of the vast number of emotions that fall under the term love.

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