The Power of Love

I believe that love brings out the best in a person. Love challenges you and teaches you things about yourself that you did not know were there. I also believe that a lack of love is a tragedy and can have negative effects on people. I believe in the power of love.

I have experienced many types of love in my lifetime: love between siblings, friends, and parents as well as love for hobbies and interests. The greatest love in my life, however, is the love that my family has for each other. My family shows me love through encouragement, praise, and sometimes, in the case of my parents, through discipline. My mom always says “I’m only doing this because I love you.” As a young child I didn’t believe that at all, thinking she was just being mean. Now that I am older, I realize that she was giving me strict rules because she and my dad love and care about me. It is through their love that I am the person I am today. The love that I have received and witnessed between them has empowered me to seek the same kind of relationship in the future.

Victory is always sweeter when you have someone you love to share it with. My friends and family have encouraged me through love to do things I never thought I would be able to do. When I was seven years old, I climbed a pamper pole for the first time. Standing on a small box fifty feet in the air was beyond terrifying. I was supposed to jump off of the box and try to catch a hanging trapeze, but I was paralyzed by fear. I did not think I would be able to do it until I heard my friends and family shouting from below “we love you lacey; you can do this!” I jumped off less than a minute later. If it was not for the love and encouragement I received in that moment, I would have climbed down defeated. If no one cared whether I jumped or not, I wouldn’t care either. It is through this love that I feel like I can do anything.

Love is a powerful thing. It can be used to build someone up and cause someone to strive for greatness. Lack of it can break someone down and make one feel like there is no point in trying their best if no one is going to care whether they succeed or not. In many cases, love can be the determining factor in drive, determination, and self-belief. This I believe.