Unconditional Love...

.....A phrase I hear often, & yet it's COMPLETELY misunderstood by people. In my mind, it means that I will love you in spite of the bad things life throws at us. In spite of the frustrations & the disappointments that we endure individually or as a couple. In spite of the outside world and what it's capable of! In spite of the nuances of everyday life. I won't take it out on you & I won't mistreat or disrespect you or what we have!

What unconditional love DOESN'T mean is that you get to hurt or abuse me. It doesn't mean you get to disrespect me or take ur frustrations out on me. It doesn't mean you get to belittle me or neglect our relationship. It DOESN'T MEAN THAT I WILL ACCEPT ALL OF YOUR BAD AND UNDESIRABLE BEHAVIOR TOWARD ME. It doesn't mean that you get to do whatever you want to me. 

We tend to want to equate that phrase with the kind of love that God has for us. Believe it or not, even Agapè/Philèo/Erós/Storge has conditions! Don't think so? Read your doctrine again!

So before you go around LYING to yourself about what it means to love someone unconditionally, ask yourself what kind of "conditions" those are. 

~Don't let forgiveness blind you. There's a fine line between having a bad day and having a bad attitude! The more you see them both as they are, the clearer that line becomes.

Always; Love

   Much of who I am & what I value the most is because of these two women right here. I never even thought to imagine my life without either of them.....in my mind, I think, "they'll live forever! They will ALWAYS be here when I need them". Then reality sets in, & u start to see them deteriorating with the days; years that go by.

  Their bodies begin to get feeble. Their minds start to recycle thoughts, over & over. Telling the same stories as if they're brand new. Their hands begin to move a little slower. Their feet glide a little softer. They stand less & take their time moving about. Even the sound of their voice changes.

    Their skin loses much of its color. Their hair gets a little thinner; a little more gray. They even start to handle people with a little more compassion & understanding. However, when u look at them, u still see them at their best. Before "time" got a hold of them.

   You begin to realize that time truly is an illusion. It gives you false hope! Makes you believe there's always enough it, or more of it, or a way to get it back. You start to hope for things that didn't matter at the moment when you were ABLE to care.

   You begin to WISH & PRAY for a lot of those "changes" or those "what if" moments. You  look back & realize that these 2 women will ALWAYS live on....through you & those who come after. You  start to see that, even in their PHYSICAL changes, they remain to be the same people.\

   You  pray to live as long as they have and to survive what they have. You  can only HOPE to be HALF the human being that they are! Giving what they gave. Teaching the lessons that they taught.

   You start to become more thankful for who they were; who they helped YOU to become; & less afraid of losing them! Cuz before long, you will look up, & they'll be gone! Your role models; your first teachers; your favorite girls; taken from this life. Leaving you with only a memory; a mere FRAGMENT of the life they lived. A definite legacy that lives on.....❤👩🏾‍🦳

#HeavyLiesTheHead

....Sleep well Grandma