Love Defined...?

This is what Merriam-Webster says online:
*1 (1) : strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties (2) : attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3) : affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests b : an assurance of love
*2 : warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion
*3 : the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration b (1) : a beloved person : darling —often used as a term of endearment (2) British —used as an informal term of address
*4 a : unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1) : the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2) : brotherly concern for others b : a person's adoration of God
*5 : a god or personification of love
*6 : an amorous episode : love affair
*7 : the sexual embrace : copulation
*8 : a score of zero (as in tennis)

And there you have it; the experts have defined what I've been wondering. I must be confused because I'm not sure I agree with all of those. And why is 'love' listed as a noun? Really? A person, place, thing, or idea? Not sure I agree with that either. I would think it's more of a verb. To run, to jump, to swim, to love. Action. No? Yes?

I think next to 'love' in the dictionary it should say "open for interpretation."

What is love? What is it to me? Is it different to you? Is it different from 50 years ago? Maybe even from 10 years ago?

I certainly don't view love the same as I did when I was in junior high or high school. I wish I did - cause then I may have cherished certain relationships more than others. But then, I probably wouldn't be writing this blog right now. Never know.

But really? How do we measure love? What 'tool?' What 'scale' is it measure on? How people give and receive love is different, so then why aren't we looking for someone that gives or receives the same as we do? Why don't we have those conversations about "How do you feel loved by me?" "When do you feel that I love you the most?" And if we asked those questions and got our answer, why wouldn't we do more of those things?

Is love really a give and take? Is it a "I do for you when you do for me" type of thing? Or is it a "I love you and will show you no matter what you do or say"?

Remember back to the first time you were "in love." How did you feel? Is that what you base your "Am I in love?" question on?

How many times have you said or thought, "I love [this person] more than I loved the last one"? Can you really love 2 different people the same? I have a hard time believing that. People need to be loved, but one may not need as much as the other. What one person loves may not be what the other person loves.

How can we look for that same love we had once when it will never be found in another person?

For me, personally, I think I'm looking for something I had before. I'm making that my measurement. I'm waiting to feel "that" again. And if I don't, then it's not love? It's a hard thing for me to ask myself. I've spent a lot of years, spent a lot of tears, and spent a lot of myself on something that is literally and emotionally impossible to find, to duplicate. It's a tough realization if that's what I determine to be my life's truth.

Maybe when they perfect cloning...then I can find love. Until then, I guess I'll just keep asking the questions.

SONG OF THE DAY: "Love Remains the Same" by Gavin Rossdale
I'm not sure if I believe in what these lyrics are trying to get across, but they raise some good questions in my mind, in my heart, and in my soul. "Everything will change; Love remains the same" I guess if I believe that to be true, then I also believe that love isn't always enough. Because then why do we have divorce and heartache? Maybe he just means that everything is the entire world can change, morph, become non-existent, but love is the only thing that is constant in the world. It's the one thing that everyone will still have no matter what else they lose. I don't know. I certainly don't have all the answers tonight, just all the questions.