Fun

Love. It’s now all Greek to me

There are at least four different words for Love in the Greek language. Did you know that? I learned that from a dear friend recently. I had never heard that before and once I did, I became a little obsessed with the concept. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I have always felt I was Greek in a past life and have always been fascinated with their culture. But when I was taught this I really felt it, I understood it, I took it in and kept it close to my heart. It just made sense to me and I had such an appreciation for it. In the English language, we only have the one word for Love. But there are many different levels of Love, aren’t there? You can Love a sandwich… and you can Love your lover. (Both are two entirely different ideas, yes?) Those Greeks have it right.

There’s agape– which is the traditional meaning of Love, Love in the spiritual sense, true unconditional Love, a selfless Love… s’agapo means ‘I Love you’ in Greek.

There’s eros– which is the physical, passionate Love, sensual desire…the term erotas in Greek means ‘intimate Love’. (And I also feel like our word, erotic may stem from this word as well…although it’s just merely a hunch.)

There’s philia– which is the mental Love, a loyalty to friends, your community, your feelings toward an activity…

And then there’s storge– which means affection in Greek, like a natural affection felt by parents towards their children.

I’ve been thinking a lot about that lately. About the word, Love. I believe in it. I believe that Love exists for everyone. And I believe you can find it in the oddest of places, at the oddest of times, as long as you’re open to receiving it. Call me a romantic or a hippie, I don’t care. But Love is available for everyone. And I think we shouldn’t shy away from Love when it comes our way. We must not close ourselves off to the opportunity to Love, and to be Loved. We can’t control when, where, how or why Love comes to us, but we can control if or how we receive it. Because when all is said and done, when we’re about to leave this body and this planet, don’t you want to leave knowing that you were able to Love all that you could?

I went to a wedding this week for a couple whom I have known since the 7th grade. They’ve been together for about 19 years and just this week made it ‘official’. It was a special thing to be a part of. I was there when these two fell in Love, all those years ago, in classrooms and hallways, in bleachers and benches, in clubs and concerts, and have been lucky enough to be a small part of their lives ever since. Watching the two of them get excited and emotional walking down the aisle, after being together and working together and living together for all these years, was a magical thing to witness.

And when the preacher gathered them in front of that old barn, the wet grass at their feet and cool breeze in the air, and we all watched as they held hands and looked deep into each other’s eyes, he began to speak of the Greek words for Love. Out of all the subjects he could have chosen to speak of, he chose this. And I felt like every other sound stopped for a moment and he was only speaking to me. And I listened. I felt I was a part of some inner circle, knowing exactly what he meant when he talked about it. The preacher spoke of agape, and I began to cry. I began to cry because it made me think of my two junior high friends, in Love, in agape, standing up there in front of their old classmates and family, it made me think of my own precious family, and it made me think of my special friend who taught it to me. It made me think of all the Loves that I have in my life. How fortunate I am to have someone to fill them all. It really did take me by surprise hearing the preacher talk about something that I had secretly been thinking of for so long, secretly been mulling over in my brain, secretly been holding so dear to my heart. And it made it incredibly touching to hear someone else think it was as important of a concept as I did.We all have Love in our lives. Sometimes it’s hard to recognize it, sometimes it’s hard to find it, but we all have it. Whether it’s a spiritual Love, a passionate Love, a mental Love, an affectionate Love, or all of the Loves above, I just hope that you all accept it with an open heart. And I hope you now know that each and every one of you, wherever you are, however far away you may be, at this very moment, are Loved by someone, on some level.

You just have to allow it.

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(Next post, we talk wedding fashion. Oh yes, I looked like a lady, ya’ll. Get ready.)

(…or at least I did for most of the night)

(This may have had something to do with the unraveling…)

…but more about that next time.

With Love,

Abbey

September 9, 2014 by Everyday Champagne

Everyday Champagne

Abbey Wade is a lifestyle blogger from the Charlotte, North Carolina area. On her website, MyEverydayChampagne.com, she shares custom recipes, tips on food and wine pairing, fashion advice and makeup fun... all under an approachable budget and timeline. Stop waiting for a special occasion to feel like you're in one ;-)