Love Bravely

There are many things that I hope to teach my children.  I want them to be polite, to speak for themselves, to follow dreams, to know how to cook, to be self sufficient, to appreciate family and the value of a dollar.  Adding to this list of practical knowledge is an attribute that I find a must - to be able to love bravely.  

We can't choose who we love.  It just happens.  You see a person, and they look different to you than all of the others.  You like the way they talk.  Both the sound of their voice and what they have to say is pleasing to you.  You want to spend your time, all of it really, with them.  You become willing to give up some of your own wants to please them.  It often feels as if there are magnets pulling the two of you together, as if forces your whole life have been working to make that connection.  We can't choose to not love them.  It just happens.  

And, sometimes, love doesn't happen in the easiest of circumstances.  Maybe you love someone who lives far away, who has different dreams, who comes from a difficult family, who doesn't have any money, who has made some choices that have lead to tricky consequences.  Maybe the person doesn't even love you back or just doesn't know how to.  It happens.  

Most likely my girls are going to fall in love, hard, many times, and get their sweet, little hearts broken.  And, I hope that I can teach them that being certain about how you feel towards a person is a really good thing, and that if they really love someone, then the risk is worth it.  

We all desire to be loved wildly, passionately, even, dare I say, senselessly.  But, do we love that way in return?  Does my love know undoubtedly that he is my dream?  Does he feel that my love is strong and thriving?  Do those magnets still pull us together?  Does the force still feel uncontrollable?  Does he feel that I love him bravely?  

Love is a risk.  And, what a story, what a life to lead, what a dream to make if I can still love that way.  Because I do have something to prove.  Because I do want to love.  And, I do want to be brave about it.