There’s a song from the 90’s that was in the movie, Night at the Roxbury, entitled “What is Love?”, the theme of the movie. The characters are brothers who are very close, have a falling out, eventually reconcile and everyone lives happily ever after.

The movie was a flop and there wasn’t much depth. Probably the only thing that became a success was the popularity of the song, “What is Love?”

So, what is love??? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

love is “an intense feeling of deep affection for a person.”

If we look at the Bible and see what Paul wrote about love, it encompasses many things like patience, kindness, hope and trust.

There a numerous references to love. It seems this has been the most discussed and researched topic since the beginning of time. From philosophers to poets, love has been a subject of intangible curiosity.

Recently we said our final goodbyes to my beloved uncle, who not only was loved very much, but was also the pillar of the family. He was an intelligent and kind person who was passionate about his family. He wrote and reflected on life and would share those thoughts with us. During the services, his spirit was strong and we felt a power of love so fierce that we couldn’t help but feel deeply connected to one another.

The energy of grief, though prevalent, was overshadowed by the fortitude of love our entire family expressed towards each other. The priest highlighted the fact that the only thing that is of ultimate value is LOVE. In his Italian accent and jovial expressions, he emphasized love threes each time he spoke about it.

This had me thinking more about the power of love, particularly when families unite during circumstances like a funeral. We rejoice in reuniting with one another and reminisce on our past. It’s a strange thing if you think about it. Why is it that it takes something like death to bring family together??

Since the pandemic, we have become creative in connecting with our loved ones. There really isn’t much excuse to be in touch, even for a few moments. Technology enables us to speak or see each other across the world. Staying in touch has never been easier. Yet, we fall into a trap of our own busyness and forget about those that mean the most to us…those whose roots are our life force.

We get caught up in our own lives and don’t take the time to plan get togethers with our families. Life happens. The key is to purposely set time to keep connected with our family. It isn’t always that easy, which is why we need to be intentional in putting our families and loved ones a priority. Annual family reunions is certainly one way to stay connected.

What else defines love?

Love means feeling compassion and empathy towards others. No judgement. When we judge, we set up a barrier and separate ourselves from others. When we are separated, how can we truly love?

Even after much time that passes, families can find themselves back to a place of love, despite all the heartaches from the past.

Love means acceptance and understanding.

Love has a partner that can’t be forgotten. Forgiveness. Without forgiveness, we are trapped in our own pain. We cannot move on and we hold hardness against others. When we forgive, we become free.

And who doesn’t want to feel free from our negative feelings? I don’t want to be weighed down with hatred or ill will. I realize that even if we all share different philosophies about life, we still share a common bond. After experiencing this loss in my family, it is more obvious how short and precious life truly is and we must not take our families, our friends or ourselves for granted.

All we need is to Love, Love, Love.

‘The beautiful things in life are not just things. They’re the people and places, memories and pictures. They’re feelings and moments and smiles and laughter.” -author unknown