The Power of Love

I believe in the power of love. I believe that love is something that remains with

you forever and gives you strength whenever you need it.

I first learned this from my grandpa. He was great. He was very protective of me

and my brother (in a good way!), always fussing about something or other concerning us, like if we were bundled up well enough, or had enough to eat. I spent a lot of time with

my grandpa. I remember sitting on his lap in his beige armchair while he read me books.

But most of all, I remember his love.

When I was three years old, my mom brought me and my baby brother into my

grandparent’s bedroom to see my grandpa. He was very sick and couldn’t get up or talk

to us, like he usually did. I showed him my sticker book, which I was very proud of!

Then he smiled at me happily, and touched my brother’s head. My mom says that she

was amazed my brother and I made him smile like that, when he was so sick. From then

on, he was at peace, until he died a little later. Truthfully, I don’t really remember much

of that day, although I wish I did.

What I do remember, though very vaguely, was the night two days after he died.

It was the middle of the night, and I could hear a bird singing loudly outside our house,

filling the night with its trills. I’ve never heard any bird do that before. My mom said that

she heard it too, right outside her bedroom window, so it sure wasn’t a dream. I don’t

know if the bird was really from my grandpa, but I like to believe so.

I sort of like to think of the bird as a symbol of my grandpa’s love, that it will

remain with us forever even if he can’t. When you give that kind of unbreakable love to

someone else, it stays with them forever and can never be stripped away. It is that love

that heals the empty holes in your heart and enables you to have new hope for tomorrow,

letting you know you can move on and start a new day.

I believe that steadfast, unwavering love is the best gift you can give a person. It

is the true thing that lingers in you forever from someone else. I don’t remember my

grandpa’s face, or his voice, more than I remember his love, a sensation deep inside me

where he left his mark. I believe that love is what really matters, and what stays forever. I

believe in the power of love.