Love is...

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching. I don't pay this particular holiday much attention since every day is a celebration of the love between my Owner and I, but I have been reflecting on the nature of love lately.

I recently read one person's definitive statement of what love is. It was a narrow definition and didn't describe my experience at all. And it excluded all of the other types of love that I feel in my life - the love that I have for my family, friends, old lovers, and all those who I may love in some capacity in the future as my relationship grows.

But the love for my Owner...that is the most difficult to describe because there is so much there. Just off the top of my head, I would describe our love the following ways:

• Our love is accepting each other as we are.

• Our love is giving ourselves completely in order to please each other.
  

• Our love is great sacrifice, knowing that everything we give will be returned a hundred-fold.
  

• Our love is opening our minds and hearts to experiences that will let us grow together.
  

• Our love is not giving up, no matter how flawed we may be.
  

• Our love is devotion and security, even if it looks like control.
  

• Our love is pain, taking and receiving, recognizing our need to have pain in our lives, and the trust that is required to experience that pain.
  

• Our love is seeing each other, even the ugly parts of ourselves, and truly embracing all parts of each other.
  

• Our love is caring for each other every day and making sure that the other's needs are forefront in our minds.  
  

• Our love is respect in our words, actions and attitudes toward each other.  
  

• Our love is expecting each other to be only exactly as we are and sacrificing any preconceived notions of an ideal partner.  
  

• Our love is loving each other more than anything, even as we share parts of ourselves with others.
  

I invite you to define your love - for anyone and everyone in your life - in the comments.  Happy Valentine's Day!