october twenty-six

Unconditional Love

For some reason, I have been doing a lot of thinking about unconditional love lately. It is so easy to say the words 'I Love You'. But what does it mean to truly love someone unconditionally.

unconditional- not limited by conditions; absolute

Unconditional love is love that never leaves. There is nothing that you can ever do to lose the love. It is forever. It is always. It is ride or die. It is for your entire life. For all the ways you can be wrong, for all the mistakes you can make in your life, those who love you unconditionally will be there for you always. 

I started thinking about those that I love without conditions. There is a very select few in my life I can say that I love without reservations, without conditions or limitations. My immediate family, my best friends. I will love them until my world no longer turns. I cannot imagine that they could do anything in this world to make me love them less than loving them with my entire heart. I know that people in this world make decisions that are difficult, they make choices which lead them down roads that are frowned upon. But in those moments, they are still the people we've loved for so long. They just took a wrong turn. And more than anything, in their times of difficulty and struggle, they need your unconditional love.  I can't imagine ever taking my love away from them.

And I started to think about if I am worthy of being loved unconditionally. I started to think about all the roads I have been down and all the ways I may have wronged the ones closest to me.  I wondered if I had traveled too far in the wrong direction.  How far is too far before someone starts to release their love?  I don't want to say that I feel as if I am chasing that feeling of unconditional love. But a part of me feels like I need it more than I should. I know that starts from within. I know I have to love myself unconditionally before I can ever allow or believe that someone else could love me that much in return.  I look at myself in the mirror and I think to myself, "Just as your name says, you are worthy of love." With that I set my feet right and move forward.  If I can love myself a little more each day maybe I can start to fill up that unconditional bucket until I feel it flowing out of me uncontrollably. 

Take some time to think about what is means to love without conditions. Think about those you love unconditionally. The feelings and answers you find may surprise you. Let your heart be open to loving someone for all the greatness they are and all of their shortcomings too.  There is only one person in this world who was ever perfect. You have to release your unconditional love into the world if you want to feel it loving you in return.