Many Loves

I am sitting here at my computer and looking at my little snowman.  It is a funny little thing. You wind it up, and it waddles along.  It is a treasure from a very special friend, whose name is Ben and I am thinking how much his friendship means to me.  I love my friend for his warmth and his sensitivity.  I love the fact that he cares so much about other people that he puts himself second.  I enjoy being with him.  I have shared many experiences and learn many things with him and value his friendship above all else.

I am looking at pictures of my two granddaughters, and thinking how very beautiful they are and how very much I love them.  Lauren is eight and Eva is 17 months.  They live so far away, but when I look at their pictures, I feel like I am holding them in my arms.  It is a special love a grandma has for her grandchildren.  It is this love that makes your  grandchildren perfect in your eyes. From a  laughing, giggling baby to a beautiful little ballerina, this love is the strongest bond, because it goes in both directions.

And then I think about my husband. He is kind and gentle, strong and funny. But he when holds me  there are no problems in our lives. I feel safe and secure and, most important, I feel loved. Even after 36 years of marriage, he is still incredibly handsome. I love just being with him.  I love his kisses, sweet and warm. When he touches my cheek or takes my hand, I feel my heart will explode with love. 

There is another kind of love, a special love between a girl and her father.  Pop is kind and  his hands, strong and rough from years of working the fields.  I have always felt a special closeness with Pop, unlike any I have ever had with anyone else. With Pop,  I always felt wrapped in a  warm blanket – even as he grew old and told me the same stories over and over and over again.  I felt protected and safe with him. Nothing could hurt me because he would not allow it.

There are so many kinds of love. There is the love between sisters and brothers.  When young, you fight and hurt each other. You say and do mean things.  And yet, if the need arose, you would give your life for them.  As you get older, you become best friends, confidants.  And you wonder why you ever treated them so badly when they are so wonderful. Well, it is called ‘love’. I am glad my siblings and I are best friend, because they mean so much to me.

The greatest of all loves is agape love. This is the love that is given just because. Some loves say,  “If you do this, I will love you.”  But agape says, “I love you, just because!” It’s the best love of all.  This love is Gods’ love.  This love says, “ I’ll always take care of you.” 

In the Bible, it is said the greatest love is this, when a man lays down his life for his friends.  But, no, this is not greatest love. The greatest love is when a man lays down his life for his enemies.  This is what Jesus did for me.  And because of this, I am able to love  my friend, my granddaughters, my husband, my siblings, and Pop.  But most of all, I LOVE MY GOD.

* By the way, should you want to read more of my writings, please check out this website:

http://www.triond.com/users/catherine+shimozono