**Author's Note: This poem was born out of experience, observation, and contemplation. My wonderful friend Annette's comments to me here on this site were the catalyst for it - thank you Annette. And my belief that love is a choice, an action verb, a gift we should give to others rather than seek out for ourselves, was the inspiration, while God guided my heart to pen it.
It takes courage
to love without expectation;
to give your all to another
knowing they may not
feel the same…
It takes faith
to love without the thought
of ever being loved
in return and trusting
that it does not
really matter…
It takes peace within
to believe that what you give
in life will come back to you;
the love that you sow
returns in myriad ways
through grace
and blessings…
It takes kindness
to understand that at times
another may not realize
what it is that you
are offering and
still give to them
without restraint…
It takes gratitude
to wholly express and live
the love that's been given
so freely to you
by the One who
created it all, to feel
unceasingly…
It takes love to live.
It takes love to change.
It takes love to find happiness.