‘Cause You’re Gonna Love Me Anyway…

I have a memory etched in my mind of the most profound statement that fell out of my youngest son’s mouth when he was 12 years old. Let me preface this with saying that he would typically get in the car when I picked him up at school in a good mood and share stories about his day. However, there was one day when I pulled up and he jumped in the car and started talking to me in an unpleasant tone. I said, “Why are you talking to me like that?” His reply was, “Cause you’re gonna love me anyway!”

I was taken aback by the inherent power of that one statement and it left me feeling speechless. I then began to  process his insightfully beautiful words. Hmm… I was  discovering that  my initial feeling of frustration was turning into a gentle smile on my heart and soul. That one simple sentence was power packed with the true meaning of the root of unwavering, unconditional love. Of course, he was right and I am so glad that he was so aware of the steadiness of my love for him. It will never waver no matter what…in that he can trust.

In a similar instance, the son of a friend of mine arrived home one day from school in an irritable mood. When his mom asked him why he was acting like that, he simply said, “I’ve used up all my good!”  Proof, once again, about the philosophy of the innate security and steadiness of knowing that he was going to be loved any way.

My oldest son had a love for street layouts, signs, maps and exploring that began in early childhood. It makes sense to me now because his profession is working as a civil engineer. I have a sweet memory etched in my mind of what he would say every single day when I picked him up at elementary school. He would jump in the car and say, “Let’s go explore!” He loved to ride through neighborhoods and drink in all the aspects of directions, checking out the street signs and seeing where we would be lead. Our paths varied daily. We explored and enjoyed each other’s company on these fun daily expeditions. It was all worth the gas and effort for the pleasant remembrances that are stashed away in our memory banks of those after school days. I’m glad that he knew that my unconditional love for him was solid enough that I would put all of the daily “to do” lists from life aside, so that I could take him “exploring.”

So, let’s wrap all this together by saying, “As our children, family and friends explore through life with its many twists and turns and unintentional faux pas and goof-ups, that we are going to LOVE THEM ANYWAY even if they have days when they have USED UP ALL THEIR GOOD! That is the true beauty of UNCONDITIONAL LOVE!!…AHHH…THE BEAUTY OF LOVE!!

Hunter Darden-order personalized copies of my books by scrolling to the top of the page and clicking on the link or email me at hunterdarden@gmail.com.