365 Questions--February 14

What does love mean and look like to you?

Today is Valentine's Day and of course everybody is celebrating love today, but what does love actually mean? Love, as defined by Merriam-Webster, means strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties. To me, love is understanding who I am and everything that comes with me and still deciding not to give up on me and be loyal to me. I've said this over and over it does not have to be a romantic relationship. My friends love me in spite of everything that I am. I'm a handful and I fully aware of that. I say things that I probably shouldn't or at least I shouldn't say it the way that I said it, I can be dramatic sometimes, and I like to fight. If you know that and still choose to love me, that's real. 

Now that is just a general answer. I'm pretty sure this question was referring to love from a romantic perspective. When I think of what love is, I think of older couples. Not necessarily elderly, but couples that have some time in, like the Obamas. I love them. They are just---I can't really find the words to describe them. All I can say is that you can tell that they're supposed to be together. I can appreciate that they have been together since before they had really made it. They love each other enough to get through the hard times, like law school and 2 presidential terms. They didn't give up on each other. You can clearly see the love between them. Something like that doesn't just happen overnight. I could only pray for a love like that. 

Love
So many people use your name in vain
Love
Those who faith in you sometimes go astray
Love
Through all the ups and downs the joy and hurt
Love
For better or worse I still will choose you first

--Musiq Soulchild