Lacson: L-O-V-E

JUST as we celebrated Christmas and welcomed the New Year, it is surprising to know that a month has already passed right before our very eyes. And as they say, our favorite time of the year is here, the love month. Exactly 10 days from now, the world will be celebrating Valentine's Day. It's the day we celebrate and express our affection to the people we deeply care about through sending flowers and chocolates, writing a sweet greeting card, having a candlelight dinner date, watching a romantic movie, or simply hanging out and spending time with each other. Some call it Hearts' Day, Cupid's Day or even Lovers' Day, but no matter how we prefer to call it, February 14 is the day we show our loved ones how special and important they are in our lives.

While the celebration tends to be more focused on how lovers and partners show their affection for one another through the various ways I have enumerated above, let us not forget that romantic love is not the only kind of love that we should honor during Valentine's Day. It is also a day when we can appreciate our family, friends, relatives, colleagues, and all the people who are around us.

The first kind of love that I probably experienced is called puppy love. I was a young grade schooler when I first developed a "crush" towards one of my classmates. I admired him because he was very good in drawing, and of course, he was cute. The term "puppy love" was coined because it occurs at a young age and it is also sometimes called as infatuation. This kind of love is not long lasting and sees only the person's good qualities. Puppy love is when we think and dream about the person all the time, feel shy around the person, or when we feel like floating in the air when we get near him/her.

Candlelight dinners, fairy tale endings, and walks in the park symbolize the sweetest and most thrilling kind called romantic love. Unlike puppy love, this is experienced by mature people although it also usually starts with physical attraction. A traditional set-up begins with courtship; however, times have changed a lot nowadays. People have become more liberated and some get hitched in an instant. You know you're in love with a person when you want to be with him/her all the time, and you always put his/her happiness first.

When things get more serious, it is called committed love. It signifies a deeper meaning which translates to a promise, a covenant and a commitment to the person you love. Therefore, it is long-lasting and entails trust, devotion, faithfulness and sacrifice. This is typically the love shared between husbands and wives, bestowing vows with each other upon the sanctity of Marriage. This is when we utter the words "for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part." This is an example of agape which means the divine love of God toward His Son.

Platonic or brotherly love on the other hand is the affection we have for our family, friends and colleagues. It is characterized by a bond or closeness that is accompanied by sharing and caring. Through this type of love, we achieve a sense of belonging, loyalty, and support.

True love encompasses all types of love. Just as what the quote above says, love is when you give yourself for the benefit of the person you love even if it means that you have to sacrifice your own sake and happiness. It is when parents work hard to provide the needs of their children, or when a guy patiently waits for his girlfriend to ensure her safety, or when a friend offers a shoulder to cry on.

It is beautifully described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8: "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 trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (NIV).

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