Unconditional love

Today was a lovely day

Sometimes it's lovely to feel extra tired when you know it's because the whole day has been full of love. The love that overwhelms you because it comes from people who are not in your life on a daily basis but when they are there, your heart wants to open up and swallow them whole.

There are lots of people in our lives and we don't always appreciate their struggles and their strengths but today was one of those days when I just sit back at the end of the day and think omg I think you're amazing!

Today my day was spent with new parents, grandparents, an adult abandoned by her parent and a parent struggling (all be it very successfully in my eyes) through parenting a teenager so I feel like my whole reason for being today was to think about the love between parent and child.

I had the pleasure today of taking photographs of a new baby, she's only a month old but already has her own personality and place in a family unit, how amazing is that to be so tiny and still be able to be who you are? I have so much admiration for new parents, I love to see that new love they have, even when they have already got a child that they still find space in themselves to love another in the same way, it's like their hearts grow in size and they become an even better person. I just love it!

Not being a parent I find the concept of unconditional love quite fascinating, the bond between mother and child to me is one that I yearn to feel in my heart, that feeling that on the one hand people say cannot be broken yet somehow for others seems to be broken from the start and for some the love of a parent is conditional and they grow up without that bond of unconditional love. Sometimes I wonder if I do have that unconditional love for some people, what is it really? I would give my life to save many people in my life, is that unconditional love? It's strange not being a parent as it separates you from so much, sometimes I feels like the love I feel for some people is not legitimate because I'm not a parent, that might sound odd but can you still be a whole person and not be a parent?

Before anyone jumps on me about the last question, it's something I think about daily and is part of my struggle at the moment but it's strange when someone you don't see very often still sees you as a parental type figure in their life, can you be a non parent, parent? My heart always opens for this person, it really does want to swallow them whole but I doubt my ability to take on this role as who am I to do that when I've never been a parent? What experience do I have? Is it really a case of love is all you need?