What Does "love" Mean To You?

[freakofnurture]

Love is when they hold you and everything is okay, even if it isn't.

 

[LauraLee]

I find myself incapable of feeling love. I actually have no clue what love feels like. I only know it from the movies. How can you all have ptsd and feel so lovey-dovey at the same time? It doesn't make sense, because ptsd takes away your trust, where there is no trust, there cannot be love, wouldn't you agree?
(not trying to be rude - just curious)

 

[Adrienne12]

So you never loved anyone before you got sick, Laura? I find it very difficult to have loving feelings too but I try to remind myself that I did once feel love for them. And there are these fleeting moments where they will do something or say something that makes me smile and I feel a little bit of that love again. I assume all the feelings come back just over time.

 

[Heather]

Heather-I can see how much love there is there. Love is when moms face their own stuff to make a better world for their children. Awesome

Thank you that means so much! I don't do everything right...far from it but when I mess up I apologize and that's something my mother never ever did and she still doesn't. I'm trying so hard to not be that kind of mother. So, that Nicole KNOWS she's loved, KNOWS she's supported, KNOWS I'm her cheerleader! I just hope my efforts pay off.

 

[mamachick]

LauraLee, I have loved all my life but right now it would be difficult for me to love someone new. Even with ptsd issues of trust, for me at least, loving my children is different than learning to love someone new, like a partner. My children are grown. It was harder to show love initially when they became independent (around middle school) when you have to start letting them do more things. This was because of my fear. I found the teenage years very hard because of ptsd I had fear that someone would hurt them and I was a bit overprotective. They may have felt my fear more than my love. Fortunately, they never doubted my love even they did not understand.

I think the opposite of love is indifference. Even hate is an emotion and can be as powerful as love, but when you are indifferent with someone, you simply do not care. When you hate, you still care.

 

[Tinyflame]

[quote="brat17, post: 21124 ]I think the opposite of love is indifference. Even hate is an emotion and can be as powerful as love, but when you are indifferent with someone, you simply do not care.[/quote]

I agree.

And I think with love actions match words.

 

[freakofnurture]

... ptsd takes away your trust, where there is no trust, there cannot be love, wouldn't you agree?

Not completely.
I love my husband so much, I'd give both my legs and a kidney for him. But as soon as he seems discontent I fall apart because I fear that I'm the reason and that he'll start to be mean and hurtful towards me. I trust him that he wouldn't kill or physically hurt me, but that's it.
So, I'd say there can be love without trust, but you can't feel loved without it.

To love means to hold someone. To be loved means to let yourself fall into someone else's arms.

 

[lovinbiker]

I will go first, to me love is caring. You care about the person so much you are willing to do anything for this person, the strongest level I think of love. That is the simplest way of putting it even though I could go on for days...:inlove:

"True love is when you put someone on a pedestal, and they fall - but you are there to catch them." ~Author Unknown

Well I have to say I think the above quotes pretty much sums up what I think love is. I think to truly love someone to the biggest extent you would do anything/risk anything for them. I would say that there are some forum members that know a lot about love for all they have sacrificed for the loved ones.

I cant explain what love is cant put it into words that easily but I know I love my D with all my heart, body and soul
LB

 

[Cthulhu]

For me, love is real acceptance of someone- with all his good and bad sides. Not just overlooking those not-so-good sides, but really accepting them as an integral part of the person.
And, most importantly, letting him be like he is, not trying to change someone so that he in fact would have to become someone else (which doesn't mean partners or friends don't have to work on the relationship or themselves- but not to force the other one into something he by himself doesn't really want).

Love is also letting someone be free, not to constraint him but just to trust and know he'll always come back. Love is to not enforce one's own "rights" in another person, to be happy for him even if the happening is hard for myself. Love can be painful and wonderful at the same time. In fact my form of love often is. But that is just what makes this emotion special.

Sure, there are different forms and strenghts of love- but for me they all have the same basis. I've worked hard on myself to bear all those difficult things real love brings with it, especially the elemination of jealousy without eliminating the importance of the other person at the same time. I'm sure there is still much insight to gain.

Well, I don't have a problem with loving someone... But I don't "see" or feel love or even sympathy in/from other people towards me even if it is definitely there- I'm somehow blind or blinded. The only thing that works is directly telling it to me, and even then it's sometimes hard to believe.

 

[AngelaMarie]

Love is:

My beautiful boys! Also, my hubby (no photo yet).

 

[Brighid]

LOve,personally, is being as messed up as I am, falling as much as I have, wanting to go away for good............waking up and seeing my family, my husband and my daughter still supporting me and holding me.

 

[AngelaMarie]

Brighid, I loved your post. So true.