50+ Lifestyles

The Power of Love

By Mary Schricker Gemberling

“A Flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and a man cannot live without love,” – Max Muller

February is widely recognized as a month dedicated to ‘love.’ February doesn’t have to be just for valentines and sweethearts; it can also be a month to focus on strengthening
relationships with family and friends.

Love is a word often overused but seldom understood. It is an abstract concept that is difficult to define, and even harder to measure. It can be felt in a touch, a smell, in the words of poem, the sounds of a song, or the taste of a food. One way or another everyone experiences love.

Psychologists say that love is the strongest of all emotions. Even though humans experience a range of other emotions from happiness to fear and anger, love is more profound, intense, and life-changing. It gives people hope, and inspires them to do great things. Love knows no bounds. It can be affected by age, gender, heredity, experience or environment. People explain and define love on how they and others experience it. But no matter what it might mean to us we are all better because of it. The act of loving instills in us security, contentment, and joy.

There are many types of love, but the one that we all feel the most is the one we have for those close to us, our pets, and even objects. We use the word ‘love’ to express our extreme fondness for animate or inanimate things We can love our dog, or love our jobs or activities; we can love certain foods, movies or books; and we can love ideologies and philosophies.

As I reflect on what love has meant to me in my life, it is clear that the intensity with which l have felt love over the years has been influenced by many external and internal factors. As a child or young adult the love of those closest to me was my security blanket. In the 20’s and 30’s when I was newly married and starting a family love shadowed me, but I was too busy to think about it. In the status quo of the 40’s and 50’s, the love was fueled by my faith which kept me afloat. During those middle years of my life I began to analyze the difference between love and loneliness; as a result the love I had for my friends and family became much more important to me on an everyday basis. When I lost both my parents, I felt regret for lost moments.

When I watched my sons grow into the men they are today I felt jubilation. When I met Gary and remarried I felt a sense of peacefulness fueled by love, faith, and contentment.

Love has now become synonymous with ‘gratitude.’ I am thankful for a family that now includes seven adult children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren to love and hug. I enjoy spending time with friends who I have known a long time and meeting new ones who bring a fresh perspective to life. I love taking daily walks with Gary as we reflect on the beauty of our environment. I love watching sunsets over the ocean. I love eating fresh shrimp and ripe oranges. I love sharing a glass of wine at the end of a long day. I could go on and on … but I think you get the point:

“Where there is love there is life.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Mary, a former educator and Seniors Real Estate Specialist, is the author of four books: The West End Kid, Hotel Blackhawk; A Century of Elegance, Labor of Love; My Personal Journey through the World of Caregiving and Ebenezer United Methodist Church; 150 Years of Resiliency.