All you need is love

When I think of love, I usually think of my kids (that should go without saying, I know), Adam, family, friends, pets, Kit Kats,  Chipotle, scarves! I love them all and not necessarily in that order. Today, though, I have been thinking from where the ability to love comes? How can we profess it to everything from another human being to chips and salsa? How do we know how to love? Who teaches us? For me, and probably for many of us, it's Mom.

By one definition, love means deep affection, fondness, tenderness. I think of the feeling you get when you look at a newborn baby, on your wedding day, when you are sitting with your close friends. We all have the capacity for that love, but I believe someone shows us, by example, how to love so we can then pass it along, so we know what to do when we love someone else. When we are given love freely and without condition, it makes it natural to want to give it away.  My mom gave me that gift. Sure she also taught me to cook, sew, clean (ha, ha- no she didn't, but by no fault of her own, I had zero interest in these things from a very early age-I know it's cruel irony that I am responsible for all of the aforementioned now-except sewing of course, which sadly she still does for me). And maybe she didn't love me enough to get me to the Olympics-oh right, I didn't have any talent that would translate-but she did make me feel like I could do anything I set out to do.
And it wasn't just love, she also gave us so much more. She also instilled in us (my sisters and me) the power to believe in ourselves, that we were smart and capable. Still, though, I feel the most important thing she did, was saying the words "I love you", showing us by hugs, pats, kisses that no matter what we did (and we did a lot of bad) that we were were good, worthy, important-lovable. And she continues to pass this unconditional love onto her grandchildren (as well as her neurosis-oh come on, I had to throw one dig in!)

Happy Valentines Day Mom and thanks for teaching me how to love myself, loving me even when I didn't deserve it, and most importantly, for showing me how to give love away.

My first loves!

Oh yeah, mom, if you are reading this, can you babysit tonight? He, he just kidding, I couldn't resist!