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| In looking over my past columns, I find that my theme for February has often been LOVE. Love comes in many forms. There is the romantic love held for a spouse, the parental love for children, the familial love extended to family, and a collegial love for friends and co-workers. Most of us spend at least eight hours a day with our co-workers. Together we suffer the anxiety of meeting deadlines and we celebrate the successful completion of major projects. We share stories and news (both good and bad) about our families. Our co-workers are often the first ones to notice if we are not quite up to par because they see us under all conditions. I am retired, but I consider my tap-dancing girlfriends to be my co-workers. I’ve written about them before. As a group we are close—as close as sisters. They are the first to step up and offer comfort in times of difficulty. That’s love. Friends and neighbors form another group with which we have a special relationship. I live in a neighborhood where the ages range from 30-something to 80-something. One would think there would be a kind of division among the inhabitants, but it isn’t that way. Many of my neighbors had problems with flooding this summer, as did many who live in the Missouri River watershed. The number of neighbors who turned out to help those who needed it—often without being asked—was amazing. Those who had the necessary equipment or know-how used it to help those who didn’t. Perhaps it’s because of the commonality born of lakefront living that we are drawn close, or it may just be a result of living in this area. I know that the affection I feel for my neighbors certainly borders on love. Good friends—you know, the ones you see only occasionally but when you get together it’s like you were never apart—also hold our love. Families are the group I think of first when I think of love. I’ve often written about the closeness of Mom’s family even though we are spread from Maine to Hawaii. Most of us love our grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We may not see them often or know them well, but there is a feeling of affection. There is a closer, more intimate relationship with our immediate family, which includes brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews. Again, we may not get together all the time, but a deeper affection exists. Finally, there is the love we feel for our personal family. Within families there is sometimes a kind of love/hate feeling: an “I love you even though I don’t agree with you” relationship. I know that some people don’t want to have a social relationship with their co-workers and barely tolerate their work-related relationships. I know that all neighborhoods are not as great as mine. Everyone does not have deep-seated friendships that survive without constant care. I know that relationships in all families aren’t rooted as deeply as they are in ours, spanning several generations and thousands of miles. Some people are loners. That’s all OK. Love still exists in all of its forms, and that’s somehow comforting. Editor’s Note: Marge has three children and two grandchildren. She spent nearly 25 years as a substitute teacher in grades pre-K to nine; five years teaching preschool; and 10 years running her own tutoring business. Her bachelor’s and master’s degrees are in education. She also has volunteered for many years for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Little League. |
Whom Do You Love? |
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