How Love Is

Recently, my mother asked if I would prepare a reading for her to offer at the wedding of her granddaughter and my niece, Kaley. I was honored.

With thoughts of my niece and her love, Stephen,  I wrote the piece below. Yesterday, my mother delivered it with every bit of tenderness and love that inspired me.

Later, I was asked by guests for copies of the reading.  Here it is, and thank you for loving it as much as I loved writing it.

How Love Is

You know how love is.

So inconsiderate, love

How it walks right in front of you, trips you, makes you fall

How it wakes you up early, and won't leave you alone.

How it keeps you awake with its arms around your heart.

So "me first," love

How it interrupts your thoughts and talks over them.

How it makes you smile when you're supposed to be doing other things

Because you can't forget something your love said.

How you felt.

So bossy, love

The way it takes over everything and makes it better.

Sweeter

Funnier

Deeper

Brighter

Softer.

Such a trouble-maker, love

Making you reckless like that, saying all those perfect, risky things before you can stop yourself.

Making you believe things that are too good to be true.

But which are.

Things like:

All you need, all you are, all you can be, starts with love.

All you deserve, all you've hoped for, and wished could happen someday, comes with love.

All you've waited for, all you've feared you might not find, ends with love.

So in the way, love

How it won't leave you alone,  because it's always right there.

That demanding way it makes you give your best self to it, even if it gives back a "you" that is better.

So controlling, love

Opening all those doors and windows to your minds and hearts so that nobody grows alone

And not closing them again when it rains

How it makes you forget what you should

And remember what you must

And oh, that way it follows you everywhere, checking for wrong turns, leaping into your path, yelling, "No! No! Not that way! This way!"

But how you need it, love.

How easily you summon it, hear it, see it

How you stop everything to look for it when you've misplaced it.

How you know when you've found it.

How you know you won't let it go.

Because you know, like you know your own voice, that you were in the right place, when love came looking for a home. 

You know how love is.