with my heart?
with my head?
as one longs for a lover,
or as one longs for pizza?
because I love
pizza.

we love many things.
we love our friends and our family,
even those who are no longer with us.
we love the food that sustains us,
we love the water that quenches our thirst,
we love sanctuary,
we love the green bean,
we love double tall 2% vanilla lattes,
we love the seahawks,
and even sometimes the mariners.
we love so many things
do we even know what it means
to love
at all?

and what of being loved?
we so often feel alone,
unworthy,
unwanted,
unloved.
we so freely and easily give our love,
hoping desperately that in our giving we will receive.
longing to make a connection,
to find worth,
to be wanted,
to be loved back.
we give away our love so freely,
to cars,
to homes,
to toys,
to technology,
to sports,
to sunsets,
to sunrises,
to babies,
to high school crushes,
to summer camp sweethearts,
to pizza.
we give away our love so freely,
yet we forget the example of Mary.

yet we forget the example of Mary,
who poured out perfume upon your sweaty, dirty feet.
how often do we show our love with an act that defies logic!
how often do we show our love with an act that makes others question our sanity?
she didn’t just give the nicest thing she had on hand,
she gave a gift she could never replace.
but it was worth it
but it was worth it
every
penny

she gave a gift others said was theirs,
she gave a gift that was already yours.
she gave a gift while others sat,
on the sidelines,
and criticized.
she gave.

you give.
you give us love like we can’t imagine.
you give us crazy,
stupid,
absurd,
preposterous,
extravagant,
love.
and for that,
we love you.