I’d just finished reading a story to my daughter and as I tucked her into bed…she looked at me with her wide eyes, “Mommy, what is love.” She said.
And so I did what parents do when they’re not sure what to say…I took a deep breath and dove right in…hoping to find my way.
I leaned in close while searching for an answer somewhere in my brain…
“Love,” I said holding her hand, “is not so easy to explain”.
“Love is everywhere,” I started. “It glides upon the wind…it floats upon the sea…it’s in every creature great or small…it’s in you and it’s in me.”
There is this amazing power to love…of this I have no doubt…the more love that goes into a person…the more love that will come out.”
“Love forms somewhere within our soul…it is the music of our heart…it can be felt between two people…even when they are apart.”
“Love, when you are young, is different than love when you are grown…love is caring about someone else’s happiness more than you care about your own.”
“Love is beautiful, compassionate, forgiving, wonderful and kind…and love can only blossom when two lives are intertwined.”
“Love is just as wonderful when it is old as it is when it was new…I believe, when it comes to love, it’s what we were put on Earth to do.”
When I thought I’d said enough…when my disjointed ramblings were through…I smiled at my daughter and asked, “By the way…what is love to you?”
Her face lit up and without hesitation…with a child’s innocence she proclaimed, “Love is what makes me smile every time I see you…and every time you say my name.”
I was a little befuddled when she asked me ‘What is love’ at the end of a beautiful day…but the next time I am asked…
I’ll be ready
I know exactly what I’m going to say.