Unconditional love is a phrase thrown around usually by parents or people who have experienced it, but for those of us who haven’t felt it, what is unconditional love?

I had heard all my life that it’s a kind of love that no matter how annoyed, mad, upset, happy, or any emotion you feel, you still love that person. Now growing up that’s not always the easiest to see. You love your parents and siblings through everything (usually, there are certain unfortunate circumstances that cause you to lose the love for them). But you don’t see this love as unconditional; you just see it as love.

It took me 15 years until I felt unconditional love for the first time. And I got double the feel of it. It was the day my twin nephews were born, then the first time I held them in my arms I knew I would never let any harm come to these boys. That I would live the rest of my life trying to guide them, loving them, showering them with happiness, protecting them with everything I am, and spoiling them beyond belief.

Having Mason and Weston become a part of my life changed it completely from that day forward. There is no feeling quite like having them smile at you, or say your name, it makes you feel all warm and gushy inside.

Every time I am around these crazy kids I am filled to the brim with love, I find myself smiling just watching them, if they ask me to do something I drop what I am doing immediately, I find myself randomly telling them that I love them just so they always know that I do, and so they can say it back because that is the best sound I have ever heard.

Most people wonder why I only chose a school an hour away to go to for my undergrad, and I always tell them it was just because of bowling, but deep down I know that a very large part is that I don’t want to be too far away from my two favorite little guys. I want them to know if they ever need to see me I will be there right away.

It gets hard being at school sometimes because I feel like I am missing the most important parts of their life and it really hits me sometimes, because I don’t want to miss a second of their lives, I want to see them grow into the amazing men I know their parents will guide them to be.

In my 20 years on this earth I have only felt unconditional love two other times, one being with the crazy guy I call my boyfriend, no matter how many times he annoys me or how mad we get I never question my love for.

That’s what life is all about, right? Never questioning your love or someone’s love for you. So if you are going through this life unsure what unconditional love is or unsure if it is even a real thing, just wait for it, you’ll know when it hits you. And when it hits you never take it for granted. It is a beautiful feeling.

Mack