Love is...

...frequently mistaken to encompass only this sort of love:That's just a part of what love is, though. It's more than just Valentine's Day, jewelry, pink and red flowers.

Love is family...

...even before you know what you family looks like. Love is possibility, hope for the future, excitement about the present.
Love is friends. And warmth; so why is Valentine's Day in February? Maybe to remind us that winter will, someday, actually, truly END!
Love is sometimes 'inbarsing' but all the better because of that. Who cares what people think about those we love? At least we have a hand to hold!
Sometimes love is lonely and distant and quite difficult to see. Sometimes it feels like we'll never arrive at the destination. Sometimes, love just bites.
We may not always be able to explain why we love those we love...even to ourselves. The mere fact of love's presence, though, makes explanations unnecessary.
Sometimes it's all about depending on someone. And other times, it's about having someone else rely on us. Love makes us feel important, needed, comforted.
...although it may look funny from the outside:
Trying to capture the one we love in a photograph isn't always possible. We can't, after all, take a picture of someone's heart. But we can take a picture of their eyes, and if we know them we know what those eyes are saying when you look into them:
Or maybe it's not the eyes. Maybe it's the tilt of their head, or the twitch of a lip, or a flick of a shoulder. Maybe it's the hands.
When things aren't going well, an arm around the shoulder can be worth a million dollars. The bonus is that it can make both feel better:
Learning to share is important too. Learning to support others is critical in fact.
So are wet, sloppy kisses, wherever and whenever they are found.
After all, the world is a dry dusty place, and we aren't really here for long.
Above all, love is the sweetest thing.
Happy Valentine's Day to all of those I love, and who love me.


[all images from a Google Image search on "Love is"]