Define that word, love

I wonder, what is love? Is it a feeling, a commitment, a need for companionship. Surely, it must be deeper. So what of this word, that we use so much. I love iris, they are my favorite flower. I love meatloaf, it’s my favorite meal. I love a good bourbon. I love red wine. I love to go hiking. I love the mountains. I love the beach. I love the sunset. I love a big full moon. I love a good book. I love football. I love a good movie. I love how that worked out. Surely this is not love. So then, what is it? Many speak of it. Musicians sing of it. Poets write of it. Romantics dream of it. Children and dogs beg for it. So then I wonder; am I capable of love? To give it, To feel it, To express it, To extend it. Is it in my genes, my DNA? So then I wonder; this can’t be my life. I care, for people and pets, what happens to those around me and the world beyond. I would do anything for my children, those closest to me, and for this country. So then, what is love? The true measure of love does not lie in words, or even deeds. Love requires the heart to open and make room. To purposefully make a chamber where only this relationship can exist. No matter what follows, that place will never vanish. It remains for life, for that is its purpose, its commitment. From the day the room is made, it is permanent and internal. It can not be removed or extinguished.