What We Talk About When We Talk About Love

I have had to read this short story by Raymond Carver and prepare both a written critique and an oral critique for my next class on Monday night. Digesting this story has really gotten me to thinking about Love and how others define its meaning.

There's Romantic Love. The way we love our spouses or significant other. Where life is a fairytale with only happy endings. Oh how I wish this were always the case! Somehow, life just does its own thing and does not follow the Disney formula for Happily Ever After.

Then there's Brotherly/Sisterly Love. I am an only child, so I'll have to guess at this one. I do have a "God"~Sister who I love like a sister, but I'm not sure if I really do. I have nothing to compare it to. Anytime she needs to talk, I'm there for her. If she needs to get away for a few hours and just sit, I'm there. I can count on her and she can count on me, for anything at all. Even if it's a paper that she has most of the research for and needs me to come over and write it for her because it's due the next day. Or an entrance essay for college. Or an essay for a scholarship. Or a Master's Thesis paper.

Then there's the love that we have for our parents. This one is a bit tough sometimes, especially if we experienced a not-so-perfect childhood. Some people have to grow up way too fast and become a parent to one of their parents like I had to do. It's their voices that shape what you do and how you do it most of the time.

Then there's the love that we have for our children. There is nothing on this earth that would ever stop me from loving my children. I may not always like their actions or decisions, but I love them anyways. When anyone attacks my kiddos or I think they are attacking them, the Mama Bear instinct rears it's ugly head and I am a force to be reckoned with. I don't care what anyone says about me or to me, just leave my children out of the conversation and we'll all get along just fine.

The most important love of all is the love that Christ has for each one of us. It is an all encompassing, unconditional love. HE is always there when you need a shoulder to lean on or just need to talk. HE listens. His grace pours out over all of us and covers us completely, no matter how badly we are stained and soiled by life.

So, what do you talk about when you talk about love?