“But of these, three remain faith, hope and Love but the greatest of these is Love”

I quote from the Bible because it has a significant meaning in my life.  Being involved with people on a daily basis, I see all forms of relationships, both developing and substantiated through various means.  These relationships seem, on the surface, to be pleasant, at best, and meaningful, and yet, there is usually an undercurrent that is not seen too well at first. 

What types of undercurrents one would ask?  Well, let’s get started with the one that has a special meaning in my life.  Love is control of every aspect of a persona life, including the right to feel and free will.  It’s appalling to me, to see and observe the control mechanisms of some people.  The overly protective parent that cannot break the apron strings and allow the child to stand on his own two feet, even though he is up in years. Jokingly, I say, this is a drama-trauma from the movies so prevalent in today’s life still, from the Broadway play, Gypsy, “Sing Out LOUISE!” the stage mother syndrome or the boy in the infamous bubble.  In that marvelous story, the young man finally took the chance on love and life and broke the protective bubble surrounding him.

Looking at the life of Jesus, I see His mother supporting his life’s work and not attempting to control His destiny or stop His life’s work.  In our faith, I do believe a parents love could be modeled on this very concept instead of the guilt, shame and controlling nature so many parents exhibit. 

Under further observation, are we as adults able to break the umbilical cord connecting us to our parents and stand on our own two feet?  It creates a great controversy of free will versus controlled will.  Spiritual concepts and beliefs give us the reality that God gave us free will, and perhaps that is the greatest love a parent can give a child.  God is there to guide us if we ask Him to, but allows us the room to make mistakes and hopefully learn from them.  It’s when we don’t learn that I believe God weeps and gently nudges us along, quietly helping us to see and to hear. 

So, what is love?  I believe, at this point in my life, that a parental love is in encouraging our children to explore life, expand horizons, gain knowledge and to never give up.  That does not mean to desert or abandon a parent or a child, but to nurture in different ways during the various stages of life. 

“When I was a child, I acted like a child, when I became a adult, I behaved responsibly as a adult!”  (A paraphrase of a great biblical verse)

Thanks for the inspiration and have a great day, I am, and looking forward to many decades of great days!