What Is Love

What is love? Millions of people say "I love you" everyday, throwing the phrase around without wondering what the word truly means. Defined in the dictionary, love is "a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties". How ever there are many different meanings of "love". There's romantic love; a love between two people, which is considered to be both intimate and sexual. The love between friends, parents and their children, a respectful love for a mentor or hero, a passionate love for an activity a person likes, and the kind of love or devotion to God. To me, love applies to all of the above. I love my family, my dog, my friends, God, writing, reading and music. Each of these however, are different. I don't feel the same about my mother as I do my best friend. That's why I think that love cannot be defined with merely one definition, but Several.

When one first thinks of love they immediately think of the romantic kind. Although I've never personally felt this, I've been told that being "in love" makes your heart beat every time you think of that person, your hands get clammy, you almost feel like you are going to be sick because you're not sure what to say or how to act. When you talk to that person you hope that the moment last forever. Both of the people in the relationship try to make the other a better person and help them to grow. Sometimes you want to put the others happiness before your own but at the same time, you want them to make you happy as well. You love the other person for everything they are, even their flaws. Many different emotions spring up, not always the positive ones, including anger, frustration, selfishness, lust, happiness, loneliness, longing, sadness, and passion. Often being in love cannot be describable. This particular love is a complicated one but a love everyone desires.

I think family is a group of people united not only by blood, but by the love of God! Loving your family is completely different than a romantic love. When I tell my family I love them, I'm not meaning it like I'm in love with them or attracted to them. In a sense, I'm telling them how much they mean to me and how grateful I am that they are in my life. A family's bond can be stronger than any other kind of love. I know my parents would do anything for me and I feel completely at ease when I am surrounded by family. They don't judge you or frown upon your disabilities or quirky behavior. My parents have given me so much because they "love" me. This kind of love is some what like a friendship. Friends provide "companionship, are fun to be with; people you have a connection to. I have many friends who I admire, with each friend different makes me love them in different ways.

When visiting with my friends, we will occasionally bring up our passions in life. Some of my friends dream of becoming an amazing guitarist and tour the world, some want to take3 different forms of art classes while also doodling in their notebook to become a famous artist, some play the saxophone for 10 hours a day in hopes of becoming famous. I know for myself, I absolutely love helping people but not just any people, I especially love helping kids in any way possible. When doing that I can be myself and feel a great sense of joy. This applies to anyone who feels a great "love" for what they do.

 

One of the last loves, and the most important one to me, is the love for God my creator. He actually is my role model for love because he loved us so much he sent his only son to die for us. My love for God is different than loving a boyfriend, a friend, or a family member. As sad as it is, any of these people can leave and break your "love" connection. I know God will never leave me and he shows me everyday how much he loves me. Even people who do not believe in God, "have a love for nature, a love for the earth, and a love for the gift of life, not matter what or who you think made the universe. In fact, I think God sets his standards in the bible for what the definition for love truly is and what it means. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 of the Bible states "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." These words set the tone for any love relationship a person has and will have. The word love is too big and meaningful to be defined by the dictionary.

"One More Time"

This post is about a time during band camp in August!

The temperature is nearing over 80 degrees, Fahrenheit. Most people are inside, sipping icy water or soda's and watching movies or surfing the Internet. They are taking advantage of their summer vacations, but you are not. Instead, you are standing in your old worn pair of Nike's and that pair of shorts from seventh grade that you swore you would never wear, sweating away that smoothie you drank for lunch. Nobody wants to be out in this heat, but you are not alone. Even the Pom-Pom squad, who practices on a football field just like you, is inside in the cool air of the gym, drinking Diet Cokes and eating celery sticks. But you are outside, clutching a hot metal instrument in your sweating hands and wishing you hadn't downed that water bottle in one gulp.

Your mind starts to drift; you have been standing in the same set for about half an hour, waiting for the massive clarinet section to straighten out their sets and positions so that the show can continue. Camp for the day will be coming to a close soon--the sun is sweltering in its position near the 3 o'clock setting. Letting your thoughts fade, you glance over at the rest of your section. They are talking and complaining about the heat, dressed in light colored tank tops and t-shirts and shorts very similar to your own. One of the members, your friend, glances over at you and manages a sunburned grin before turning back to the conversation. You stay silent, too tired to do much but march and stand.

"Let's get this right! One more time!" hollers the director from the box on top of the bleachers. One of the drum majors, the senior on grunt duty, starts to pound out a beat- the tempo to the song you are working on. Although you know it will not be 'one more time' or anything close, you sight and raise your instrument to your lips. You flinch as it burns; the mouthpiece has been exposed to too much sun and is therefore about the temperature of a kiln.

The director waves his arms like a monkey and the band starts to move, staggering from formation to formation. You follow your friend, taking meticulous care to stay on step....left, right, left, right, left....Twelve measures later, the director cuts you off in exasperation and proceeds to shout out some "encouraging" lecture over the loud speaker. You listen with one ear, not paying as much attention as you should, letting your eyes wander over the skyline watching the birds fly from trees around you.

As soon at the fateful phrase, "One More Time!", is uttered, your tromp back to the previous position to try the process again. Again, you stay in step and in position while the director attempts to direct, and again you hear an "encouraging" lecture, reworded for variety. As "One More Time!" comes again, you head back to the spot you just vacated. You are caught in a loop, you are quite positive of this now.

"I can't believe they keep making us repeat twelves measures!" your friend complains, running a hand through her sweat- damp hair. "This is absolutely ridiculous!"

You agree as you watch the clarinet players try to fix themselves for the third time in an hour and a half. Now the saxophones are having a problem as well, and are standing in chattering groups while the leaders try to sort everything out. Sighing, you kneel down in your spot and glance around. The rest of the low winds section are kneeling as well, each member perfectly on his or her spot.

By the time you head home, you are quite sure you know the meaning of "One More Time!" "One More Time! is not to be taken in the terms most regular people would use. Translated literally, "One" in The Great Band Dictionary, actually means "Four or more." "Time" is translated to be an incomprehensible number, somewhere between one and ten. So, literally, this saying means "More than four or more times an unidentified number." An easy translation is, "You're going to do this until you get it right or you won't go home!" They used the words "One More Time!" to give future band students an optimistic saying to believe.

What is a Friend?

We all have people in our lives that we consider to be friends of ours. However, what is a friend? Are there different levels to a friendship? How do you know what kind of friendship you have with different people in your life? There are many things that we consider before choosing friends and at what level you want that friendship to be at or go to.

 I feel that there are four main groups of friends in my life. The first group is what I consider to be acquaintances.

This group is basically made up of those people that you talk to, that you get along with more or less. They tend to be people that you work with or go to school with. You see them everyday and talk to them but normally not outside of the place that you always see them at. If you run into them on the street, you would say hello or wave to. You wouldn't stop and talk to them for a longer period of time. Just long enough for you to acknowledge them and them to acknowledge you back.

The second and third group is the friends/close friends group.

Those that you hang around. They know a lot about you and vice a versa. They are people that you have grown to trust and they trust in you. I personally have many close friends!
They more than likely know your parents in some manner. They are there for you when you need advice. They help you when you don't understand the Algebra homework. Friends have the same interests that you have, like music in my case. They tell you when an outfit makes you look like a yield sign or a highlighter. These are people that you miss when you're on vacation for a week or away from home for the summer.

The final group are your best friends. The friends that know you like the back of their hand.

You know the kind.....the ones that can finish your sentence before your even done thinking about what to say next, those are your best friends. They know your parents really well cause they are over at your house all the time. They are honest with you. They are always there when you need a shoulder to cry on. You call them or text them just to talk to them when you need to talk. They are those people in the world that you just don't know what you would do without them. They are the friends that you don't have to miss when you're on vacation for a week or away from home for the summer because they are right by your side when you are gone. Best friends are people you know you don’t need to talk to every single day. You don’t even need to talk to each other for weeks, but when you do, it’s like you never stopped talking.

I have a best friend and her name is Michelle. She is my inspiration for my life! I look up to her in so many ways that are possible. We are with each other every single day and our friendship grows every single day!  We are nothing alike yet we're best friends. I trust her with all my heart. I can trust her with anything and not have to worry about her telling my secrets. Our freshman Biology teacher is the cause for our friendship!  She has a bubbly personality that lights up the whole room! She is a true follower of God and share the same love for God! She doesn't care what people say or think about her which is one thing I truly love! She is always there for me no matter what! I know when we go our separate ways for college and whether we live 10 minutes from each other or 3 hours from each other we will always have each others backs!


Ecclesiastes 4:9-11
⁹ Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: ¹⁰ If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! ¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?

Nicole!

As an individual we all have something that is very meaningful in our life. For some of us it may be reaching out to someone, families, listening to our hearts and many other things of importance. Personally, family is the most important aspect in my life, especially the relationship I have with my cousin.

I have many close relationships with my cousins. I am so grateful for that, but the relationship I have with my cousin Nicole is very extraordinary. Not many cousins are as close as she and I are. A lot of cousins get on each others nerves and have several disagreements but I probably can count in one hand the amount of times we had an argument or disagreement.

She has played a significant role model in my life. She has always catered to me and taught me valuable lessons in life such as in relationships and with boys! I can always depend on her to be there for me with the right words of advice and help to guide me in my choices. My mistakes are for me to make, but she is always right there to cheer me back once I have realized my faults.

The hardest thing about her being so far from me is not being able to see her everyday or having our daily conversations about events that have happened or our morning devotions and discussing how God has worked in our lives. I know for a fact that my life and my attitude toward life would be different if I didn't have her to look up to. There have been so many times in life when I would have given up but her support and love are there to guide me.

My Cousin Nicole!

Her footsteps act as a guidance plan for my life, it gives me the chance to learn from her bests and worsts. I listen to her advice because it's some of the best. I learn from her mistakes, but she gives me the lenience to make my own mistakes. I enjoy seeing Nicole live her life to the fullest. It gives me the urge to follow in her footsteps. I love her personality, smile, and silliness. I love the way she goes out of her way to make my days better when they're down. I love the laughs that we have had and I love the things we do together. And most of all, I love who she has become. I see her changing and becoming something better than what she use to be. I love the way that she is and everything that she is. And I love that no one can change her except for God. Only she can change herself for the better or for the worse. I've seen all the good things that she has done. Everything that she is, and everything that she will be in the future is just amazing. She is my role model, she is my hero in life, she is my everything. And most of all, she is my over protective big sister that I love with my all heart!

 Best friends, cousins,

1 Timothy 4:12
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.