Love - the basic emotion

A stray comment by one of my friends on my Facebook status triggered a thought on various meanings and concepts that surround the word love. I had written on the wall that I was feeling loved and young. To this one of the comments alluded that my husband was taking good care of me. There were others that were equally tongue in cheek and harbored around romance with the spouse. It leads me to conclude that mostly the top of the mind association of love is to a spouse/partner. I felt the romantic in my friends awaken. Some called and some wrote to me, but one thing was sure, I had touched a chord in some more hearts around me.  Everyone wanted a piece of that feeling. 

In reality, this feeling emerged from having had a wonderful time with a bunch of friends! I continue to feel the warmth and the love even two days after our sojourn. 

I have experienced love in many forms, many times! Sometimes as a receiver, sometimes as a giver, sometimes as a witness, sometimes in the flow of being and sometimes in loss. The first memory of love that I have is my grandfather sitting forward with his cheek almost flush to the ground, looking at me unblinkingly and waiting for me to wake up. He was visiting us in Gujarat and was meeting me after a separation of 15 months. They reached our place in the middle of the night. I was a baby and sleeping soundly. Mom told me later that he was sitting in one position for almost 6 hours for me to wake up and look at him. I do remember leaping with joy and hugging him as soon as I saw him. 

Recently, I experienced such love with my niece. She is so unpretentious and so completely trusting. I am just the same with her. We have a great time together and I look forward to being with her more oftten. In her playfulness I revisit the child in me. 

Both the memories above are linked to childhood. So is this form of love most valuable to me? The love that stems from innocence and is complete in its sharing may be the form of love that I cherish the most.