Let's keep it all the way real. Love is acceptance.

I was lucky to grow up in a household full of people that practiced this daily without struggle.

It was just the way they were. There was never a time that I did not feel loved or accepted. This does not mean that I was perfect. Of course not. What I am saying is when I made mistakes, when I screwed up, when I didn't listen I was reprimanded but in doing so, no one ever made it about them. My parents and grandparents raised me in a pretty progressive way.

See, parents are just people.

They aren't perfect either. They have hang-ups and issues like everyone else and sometimes those things come spilling out in the way they parent their children. Some folks experience a lot of shame and hurt because their parents judged them or dismissed them based on their own expectations. Unfortunately, people can be broken like that.

My mom was the epitome of unconditional love.

She always said what she felt she needed to say to me to guide me and she could really tell me about myself when she saw me about to do something extra stupid! Thank goodness! Ha! She accepted me just as I am though. She allowed me the freedom to evolve, expand and to choose. She let me grow into my own person without filters or judgement. She encouraged that growth and help cultivate it. Total acceptance.

That is what love is.

Allowing someone to be who they are without expecting them to change. To recognize yourself in someone else. I think we often miss our blessing when we don't recognize what special people bring to the table because it does not look the way we think it should. It does not fit into society's definition. You have to look past all of that. We are human beings, not carbon copies of some generated list or manufactured guide. We are souls with past experiences, thoughts and ideas. If we take the time to be present and realize the gifts that someone brings to us and appreciate them, then we can be fulfilled. It's accepting what is and seeing it for how important it is.

I am thankful for having such an upbringing.

When I was younger, I didn't even realize how special it was. It started to make so much sense to me once I entered adulthood. You don't need to search for love at all, you just have to create space for it to enter. Acceptance.