Love is....

LOVE IS...My parents

The sent me a package which only people who intimately knew could construct so perfectly. My mamma had picked out some clothes for me and a movie she new I would like. She also through in an apple coated in caramel and nerds--a delicious combination! They had also included items for Maria, gifts which made her feel special and loved.

But my parents are Love because they give when in it hurts, they love when it is a choice and they support when others tear-town. They are my unconditional fan base and the role models which I turn to for parenting advice. They are Love.

LOVE IS...My sisters

D is a modern-day Paul, preaching the Word of God with boldness. She loves others enough to confront them when they are wrong and help empower them to change. She extends a hand to others when I would likely extend a fist instead. She is Love.

B is my little-big sister. She takes cares of me when I should be taking care of her and forgives me when I hurt her. Children, the best judges of character, don't have to hear her say she loves them--they can feel it. She is Love.

LOVE IS...My Best Friends

Whittle, Ric and Kate loved me when I did not love myself. They were my first true friends. They know my flaws so intimately, yet still believe in me. They are Love.

Amy loved me when I was the hardest to love. She watched me grow and supported me through the most challenging and rewarding times of my life. When I was in agony from an earache in Thailand, she sat-up with me through the night. When I was bitter and angry about the injustices I had seen in Uganda, she was patient with me. And when my dreams didn't make sense, she silenced all the "dream-killers" around me. She is my sister. She is Love.

Rebekah understands me better than anyone, for she is the five-year better version of myself. She alone understands why I would rather be in the slums of Brasil or the refugee camps of the Congo than the sunny beaches of Hawaii. She alone knows the ugliness that is within me, but still somehow sees beauty. She is Love.

Abby is my soul sister. Though no two individuals could me more unalike in temperament we are bonded together in our mutual love for Christ and His children. She loves me enough to tell me the truth, even when I don't want to hear it. She loves when she doesn't feel like it, something that I covet and deeply respect about her. She is Love.

LOVE IS...The Guardians of Room 170

Whether it is the auntie, mom or grandma of a best friend, the 4-wheeling buddies of my dad, or my sister's best friends, these are the people that keep my classroom running and me going. They knit mittens, send books, shoot me emails, ask what is needed, pray without ceasing and believe that God can use a person and imperfect as myself. They are the silent readers of this blog, many of whom I have never met in person yet still have managed to touch my classroom in ways only eternity can talk about. They are Love.

LOVE IS...My Students

The way they throw their arms around my waist and squeeze real tight or the way their eyes light up when they see me in the mornings, tell me I am loved. Even though it is I who should be caring for them, they care for me in so many ways. Though I am irritable some days and absent-minded nearly every day, they forgive me and love me as only children do. They are Love.

LOVE IS...Maria Rapha

When I wake up in the mornings, the first thing I feel are her arms around my neck and her slobbery kisses on my cheek. At the times I least expect it, she will lift my arm up, wrap it around her neck and just squeeze me. She tells me every day that I will be a wonderful mother and that my cooking is delicious--proof that love is blind. She is Love.

LOVE IS...My Savior

There are no words to express how thankful I am that you love me. You alone know the depths of my weakness and how much I need a Savior. You are my life, my breath, my everything. You alone give the aforementioned people the ability to love as they do, for you are the author of love. You are Love.