The Power of True Affection

The Power of True Affection

By Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar

Let's discuss love actual love. Not the Hallmark-card kind, not the fairy-tale Hollywood version, and certainly not the "swipe left or right" version. I mean the kind of deep, life altering love that transforms you from the inside out. That love that grounds you in something far greater than yourself. It may sound a bit heavy, but trust me, I'm not going to get all sappy on you. This is not a sentimental love letter to love.

We've all heard it a million times: "I love pizza," "I love my dog," "I love my neighbor until they start blasting music at midnight." But when we throw the word "love" around so liberally, we forget what it truly means. True love? It's like flipping a switch, tuning into a frequency one that resonates deep within your being. When two people find themselves on the same wavelength, it’s like composing a symphony that only the two of you can hear, something like music only the two of you know.

Listen, I’m not claiming to have this all figured out. Far from it. I've made more mistakes in love than I'd care to count. Like the time I believed flowers and chocolates could fix a misunderstanding (spoiler alert: they didn’t). Or the time I tried to play it cool, but ended up sounding like I didn’t care at all. Love has a way of grounding you, doesn't it? It's humbling.

But here's what I've learned along the way: real love doesn't bail when things get messy. It doesn’t disappear when life throws a curveball or when you're overwhelmed by the madness of daily life. If anything, it digs in deeper. It doesn’t mean being perfect or having all your ducks in a row. It's about showing up honestly, consistently, bringing all of yourself even when it's hard. Especially when it's tough.

I remember one day when I was running errands, juggling a hundred things, stretched thin. You know the kind of day where everything seems like a catastrophe a slow cashier, someone cutting in line, for example? I caught myself grumbling about something so trivial, and then it hit me: why was I letting this get under my skin?

So, I stopped. Took a deep breath. Released the tension from my shoulders. And suddenly, it was as if the world brightened. That moment reminded me that love for others, for yourself, and from the Creator is bigger than the countless small frustrations life throws at us. It doesn’t fall apart when things get tough. Instead, it shows you how to rise above, how to focus on what really matters, and let the rest go. That’s the kind of love that keeps you grounded, even on the tough days.

But let's be real: the highest love of all is the Creator’s love. I tried to go it alone before, thinking I knew it all. Guess what? I didn’t. The Creator’s love is like Wi-Fi; it’s invisible, but if you have it, you sure feel it. And when you don’t? You feel isolated, untethered. That’s the foundation of everything. Without it, everything else feels fragile.

I had a moment that reinforced this truth like no other. One evening, I was sitting outside, watching the sunset, feeling crushed by everything that was going wrong bills stacking up, work stress, and that constant nagging thought: "Am I even doing this right?" As the sky glowed orange and pink, it struck me: I was so absorbed in my own grief that I forgot the simple truth. The Creator's love was always there, firm and unshakable.

That realization? It felt like a warm, cosmic hug. All those worries didn’t disappear, but somehow, they became smaller, more manageable. In that moment, I realized that I wasn’t alone and would never be.

The Creator's love isn’t the same as the love we try to manufacture on our own. It doesn’t recoil when we screw up or run for the hills when we fail. It’s steady, deliberate, and infinitely forgiving. And when you allow yourself to be anchored in that kind of love, everything changes. It changes how you view yourself, how you care for others, and how you navigate life's bumps.

But let’s not sugarcoat it: not everything in life is sunshine and rainbows. There are days when love feels like hard work like going to the gym at 6 a.m. when you said you would. But the payoff? Worth it. Real love doesn’t just deepen the joys; it makes the sorrows endurable. It's the fuel that keeps you going when the road gets tough.

And let’s not overlook the humor in it all. Love isn’t just a grand, sweeping gesture. Sometimes, it's the small things the inside jokes, the way someone knows exactly how you like your coffee, or how you can sit in silence together and still feel understood. Like the time I burned dinner (really burned it), and my friend didn’t complain she just shrugged and said, "Guess we're ordering pizza." That’s love, too.

But here’s the real kicker: love isn’t something you chase or earn. It’s a decision you make every day. You decide to honor the connection, to nurture it, to allow it to grow. And that choice? It’s one of the most powerful decisions you can make.

So, what would you do to try to preserve that kind of connection? Would you give everything? For me, the answer is yes. Once you experience true love from a friend, a family member, or the Creator you realize it’s not just something you can have. It's something you are. And that kind of love? It’s worth everything.

So here’s to the love that endures. The love that flourishes and keeps us grounded through life's storms. Here’s to the laughter, the lessons, and the quiet, unshakable knowledge that we’re never really alone. And here’s to the Creator, whose love makes it all possible. If we truly understood what true love can do, we’d never take it for granted again.