Love isn't blind or deaf or dumb - in fact it sees far more than it will ever tell. It is going beyond yourself and stretching who you are for someone else. Being in love entails seeing someone as you wish they were: to love them is to see who they really are and still care for them. Love isn't bitter, but you can't have love without pain: sacrifice is the hallmark of love , the coin of love.

Being in love usually is used in a romantic sense when you meet your significant other transforming a normal relationship into a deeper one without further interest in others.

Love means that you trust the person, would do anything for the person, know that person is with you through thick and thin, isn't afraid to be seen with you. make sure they treat you right.

Additional Contributor Opinions:

• Love means having strong feelings for someone that can be close friends, family or even someone in a romantic relationship. Love is a strong feeling that represents affection toward someone dear to you heart.

• There is no true meaning in love. love with meaning is not love.

• The meaning of love is prolonged mutual protection. Love is real when it is found. It is free when it is grasped. Can you tell with a kiss? Love is the magic/mutual in a kiss. There is no magic in a kiss if there is no love/mutual within it. A kiss with magic has no forced for love makes it gentle. There is no magic in just a lip kiss. Love has a different kiss. Some kisses are only stolen breaths. If you need to ask: "is this love" then the Answer is: "no" for when/if it ever happens you will know. Ravonseed.
• The possible real meaning/purpose of love is: to reproduce. To stay together to protect each other long enough to continue your blood line/genetics. The meaning of love is prolonged mutual protection. Love is real when it is found. It is free when it is grasped. Can you tell with a kiss? Love is the magic/mutual in a kiss. There is no magic in a kiss if there is no love/mutual within it. A kiss with magic has no forced for love makes it gentle. There is no magic in just a lip kiss. Love has a different kiss. Some kisses are only stolen breaths. If you need to ask: "is this love" then the Answer is: "no" for when/if it ever happens you will know. Ravonseed.
• Love is when you are certain that you love someone, and then you think you love someone else, then you both realize that you could never live without each other

• The true meaning of love is found in the word "unconditional". Loving someone through their flaws and all. Accepting and embracing each others differences and compromising with their offerings.

• Bokonon tells us:" a lover is a liar to himself he lies the truthful are loveless like oyster their eyes."

• "Being in love is the connection u have with someone and feeling the same way they do. u wouldn't have a problem fussing and fighting with them at times because you love them"

• What is true love? This is the question that haunts our everyday being. well, my friend, you certainly are in luck. For I have the intangible answer.. -love is devoting your God given LIFE to a person who

• In my eyes.... why should it matter? I'm happy for the time being. Why should I tire myself with those bothersome questions if it is "true"-truth is in the eye of the beholder.

• Life is a constant wave of change, accept it all as it comes, for it can never be stopped.

• Love is Change-I have found happiness because i have embraced that change, that change has taken me many places i never thought possible. the past now dwells in it's rightful home, the past. never to live again..

• Love is finding the beauty in one's self, and finding another to embrace it. No matter how strange one's beauty may be.

• Love is learning to see the beauty in everything.

• Good is walking away when she comes up pregnant with someone's else kid; love is staying long enough to carry her through the miscarriage.

• Good is heading for the door when he tells you he's been with other people while you were dating; love makes you pray for him.

• Good is realizing it just won't work and calling it quits; love makes you stay friends.
• Love is caring about somebody just as they are, how they were before, and as they will be in the future. Love and sex are different. Also, its probably a good idea to decide what you think love is yourself, and have a mind of your own.

The secret to true love as opposed to sexual love is to under stand that it is unconditional, if you love some one or something you must love it warts and all, otherwise it's conditional love. A dog can spend its life being mistreated and still welcome its master. That is true love.

Before we can discuss the secret to true love, you must understand that true love is a gift that has to be valued and nourished. It's not something that you find one day like a beautiful seashell on a beach and put it up somewhere to be admired. True love is a part of life that has a life of its own. Value and nourish it, and it will grow and become deeper and more valuable. Find it, give it no value and forget to nourish it, and it will die. Simple as that.

The first secret to true love is knowing when you have found the love of your life, your other half, the one who is more important to you than even yourself, the one your entire being tells you is the one for you. That may happen one day when you look across a room and meet the eyes of her or him, your eyes lock and your heart jumps, and the eyes you are looking into tell you that the same is happening on the other side of that gaze. It could also happen when you are out with someone that you have dated casually for months, but never really felt much of anything for. Suddenly, one night, your heart could leap as your eyes meet or your lips touch. Knowing you have found true love might be just a quiet knowing that the person is the one for you. It happens differently for different people.

After meeting your true love, the secret to keeping the love alive is to unselfishly put the other person before yourself and communicate with that person in a positive and open manner. Many great relationships have lost their pizazz due to mistakes of one or both becoming selfish and not communicating with the other. Even those who have found their true loves have lost them because of the hurt and disappointment caused when the love of your life's actions and words say "you don't matter," "I'm for me first," and similar things.

When two people find true love and each puts the others hopes, dreams, desires, and feelings above their own and communicates in such a way as to build the other up and share their innermost thoughts, beautiful things happen! The true love that was found grows into something more beautiful than a rose, deeper than the deepest ocean, and stronger than anything imaginable. Anything less than being unselfish, putting the other before yourself, and great communication and it's tough for even true love to survive.

You must know how to distinguish between love and infatuation. The KEY to true Love and Romance are not like recipes that you can use for that perfect relationship. That Key is unique to every couple and relates to their social cultures and values. Almost every human relationship has its ups and downs. When people can focus on the important and valuable stuff that makes it all worthwhile, rather than curse the stuff that causes pain then they are on the way to finding true Love .

You must not get caught up with the superficial physical characteristics that you would like in your mate. You should preferably focus your attention on emotional qualities like compassion, respect, cooperation and dependability that you would want your mate to demonstrate.

Finding true love starts with your ability to find it first within yourself. You must be happy and contented with who you are. When you are able to create positive energy around you it will work like a sweet flower attracting the honeybees. You will be able to connect with the right person.

...or if it's only a crush?

There is only one way you can tell if you're truly in love: you don't wonder about it, you just know that it's there. (People have been asking this ever since love was invented.) ____

It is a very common question, "How can I tell I'm in love?", but it is not an easy question to answer. What feels like love to one person may be nothing more than attraction to another. Some people fall in and out of love quickly and often while others are never really in love as much as they are in lust. This can get confusing when you are a teen because romantic love is a relatively new concept for you and you don't know what to expect. You are overwhelmed with all sorts of new feelings and social pressures. They are confusing.

What is love? What makes you want a romantic relationship with one person and not another? How does your heart choose a partner? Why does love end? These questions can't be easily answered. Lust is a very powerful, very intense feeling of physical attraction toward another person. Lust is mainly sexual in nature - the attraction is superficial based on instant chemistry rather than genuine caring. Usually we lust after people we do not know well, people we still feel comfortable fantasizing about. It is very common for people to confuse lust for love. But why? What is it about lust and love that make them so easy to mix up? If lust is all about sex, how can a relationship without sex be about lust?

Teens struggle with this because they see lust in the Biblical sense, but lust isn't that sinister. Lust is about physical attraction and acting ONLY on physical attraction. Love is about much more than that. Yet many teens (and to be fair, many adults) confuse an intense attraction for some sort if divine love. For teens, since feelings of attraction are still new and since pop-culture sells sex and love as one package, it is very easy to get the two mixed up.

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When you are in love, you are sort of paranoid when the person comes around. When you see them, you are trying to make yourself more to something that you know they'll like, even if it means pretending to be a person that doesn't know who they really are. When you are in love, you can't describe your feelings and you feel so blind because love removes all the pain you feel. When you come across your crush, you feel like you are melting and as if you are going to faint. Sometimes, when you feel that you want to faint, you try and play around that you fainted, just to fall into his/her arms. When someone says "Love is blind, as far as the eye can see", it's best to believe it.

You'll get a special feeling in your heart.. Something that will make you cry to sleep if you imagine that person being harmed or with someone else.. You want to be with that person. They enter your thoughts a lot... You get carried away sometimes. Yet you don't care, because it's all for that person... <3

Wow! congratulation, but wait is this person single or married? You will know if you are falling in love through your heart, it will beat faster every time you see this person. when your away from this person your heart feels a bit sad because you miss this person. You can't stop thinking of this person and most of all you feel excited every time you see the person..

In addition you will know by having this smile in your face every time you think of the person, your heart will have this little happy kick.

Unfortunately, I am describing hoe the man I marry fell in love with the woman he met on a dating site. But still it is how a person will feel when he or she is in love. I felt that way to when I fell in love with my husband years ago.

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You never know when you are in love unless you meet the following 3 criteria:

The love is unconditional.

The love is forever.

The love must be in both of you.

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You know when you're in love : you are able to be open with each other, and you make a commitment to that person. When that person tells you "I love you", you get butterflies and you feel special. Now if you are a guy it's different sometimes; but you know you're in love when your feelings are deep, and you see each other's eyes in the world.

I'm in love, i know, i know more than anything i love this person, you can just feel it! There's no denying it. It's built in there, somewhere, you just have to find it. Once you fall in love, it's all you can do to stay alive. I would die if i lost my better half. I can't live in a world where he doesn't exists.

You may be one person to the world, but to one person you are the world.

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Well It sounds really stupid but every one knows in different ways you will know and have a gut feeling you will know i promise. You will feel butter flys in your stomach when you see the person, think about them, or if you smile by the mention of the name.

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LOVE= SACRIFICE

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I think Love is when you hear his/her voice you melt. When you look at there eyes and you notice the color for the first time, and its the most beautiful thing you have ever seen. when you run to them with any issue you may have and you KNOW that they will do all in there power to save you as best they can, even if its something small. and they love you for just the way you are, they love every little weird face and silly laugh you have to offer. That to me is perfect love

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You know you are in love when all you can think about is that special person.

When you haven't talked in awhile, anywhere from ten minutes to ten days, do you long for his/her voice?

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• Is there a moment where, if it were anyone else you would be embarrassed, but with them you feel proud?
• When he/she is talking or just sitting there do you just stare at them in awe, then replay that image every night before you fall asleep?
• Has he/she said something that you've gotten stuck in your head like a song; but instead of it growing annoying, you crave to hear it more and more?
• Are they your first thought you think when you wake up?
• The last thing on your mind before you fall asleep?
• Is he/she someone you can see yourself growing old with, and in your old age will you still long for the touch of their hand?
• When you don't want to fall asleep at night because reality is better than your dreams
• When they're not just your boyfriend/girlfriend, they're your best friend too.
• When you're with them, you don't think about anything. You're just there, enjoying that moment not matter what else is going on in your life.
• When you don't need a big speech to tell them how much they mean to you.
• When you want every moment with them to last a lifetime
• its how they care and look you in the eyes and you can feel that you want to be with this person forever !
• If you always stare at them or think of them & feel good around them

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I say it is when you don't second guess it.

• If you still feel attracted when your lust is satisfied, then it's love. Most people confuse lust with love; the difference is that while lust is self-serving love is unlimited and unselfish..

So how can you tell the difference between lust and love? Here are a few tips to help you sort things out.

It's lust if:

• You're totally focused on her looks and body
• Even before you know her name, you're already fantasizing about what she looks like naked and what it would be like to have sex with her.
• You don't care about anything she has to say
• It wouldn't make a difference to you if you never had a conversation with her. Furthermore, you don't bother to return her calls promptly and you can easily go for days without talking to her -- until you get horny again.
• You only want to be with her to have sex
• You make excuses not to spend time with her, except for sex. And if she asks you for a favor, you tell her you're too busy. But if you have to be with her and not have sex, she gets on your nerves and you find yourself fantasizing about other women.
• After you go out trolling for tail with your buddies on Friday night, you then call her at 1 a.m. for some drunken action. Ah, the booty call.
• You leave after sex
• After having sex with her, you look for the easiest way to leave. No cuddling, no breakfast the next morning, just "I gotta go."

It's love if:

• You have great chemistry
• You get lost in your conversations, and the hours pass like minutes. You're more than willing to listen to her when she talks about her day. The chemistry between you is remarkable.
• You find her beautiful
• Even if you catch her with no makeup on and her hair pulled back while she's unclogging a toilet, she still looks beautiful to you.
• You want to spend time with her
• All you want to do is to be with her, whether you're having sex or not. Even if she tells you that sex will have to wait, you don't care.
• You see a future together
• You experience the strange feeling that your life would be totally empty without her. You tell your friends and family that she may be The One, and you're even thinking about marrying her.
• You introduce her to your family
• It becomes very important to you that your parents like her, and that she gets along with everyone close to you.
• You include her in all your plans
• Whether you're going out with your male friends or taking your dog for a walk, you want her there with you. And if she's not there, you can't get her off your mind and sneak off to give her a quick "I miss you" phone call. Of course, you don't tell your buddies.
• You are more romantic
• All of a sudden you find yourself listening to cheesy romantic songs and thinking of her. You send her flowers and love notes to work and set up romantic evenings candlelit dinners at home.
• You always take her side
• If someone says anything even slightly disparaging about her, you immediately rise to her defense. Furthermore, in social gatherings, you always agree with her even if you disagree behind closed doors.
• She makes you want to be a better man
• She challenges and motivates you. She makes you happy, and you'd do anything to make her happy.
• When it is love, you catch yourself thinking about how much fun you have with that person and when it is lust you catch yourself thinking about their body.

Lust is when you want to sleep with them.

• Love is when you want to spend the rest of your life with that person, despite their weaknesses.Lust is a strong sexual attraction usually based on physical appearance. Once that physical desire ends, your interest in them may also end."Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind" --William Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream.

• If you love being in their presence even when nothing sexual is involved. I think that if you are with a person that you truly are in love with, lust is a natural thing that comes with it.

• Ask yourself, "If I could never have sex with this person for my whole life, would i still love this person?" Think about it.

• It's love when you rejoice for your partner's happiness, even if that means being away from you. It's lust when you rejoice for being together, even at the cost of your partner's happiness. Usually, we are somewhere in between.

• The KEY to true Love and Romance are not like recipes that you can use for that perfect relationship. That Key is unique to every couple and relates to their social cultures and values. Almost every human relationship has its ups and downs. When people can focus on the important and valuable stuff that makes it all worthwhile, rather than curse the stuff that causes pain then they are on the way to finding true Love.
• When the two of you have no problems in committing yourselves to freely demonstrate such qualities as compassion, respect, compromise and dependability, then you may have found true LOVE.
• If you love someone, you look forward every morning to waking up to seeing their face, and you genuinely care about what they have to think and say. Lust is seeing the person only for their physical attributions, and although you feel a strong attraction to them, you really don't care what they have to say or think.
• lust is when u look at her and say damn she sexy i just wanna have sex with her

Here a variety of opinions from Wiki contributors:

• I believe that my boyfriend and I are true soul mates. We share many likes, dislikes and even friends say we have the same speech pattern. This has been from the very start. It's like I'm the female version of him and he's the male version of me. Similar backgrounds help, i.e. your family, faith and friends. He is only 4 months older than I am. Most of our life experiences are even the same.

• You know when you have met your soul mate because you connect on a very different level to anyone you have ever met before. The other person understands what you are thinking before you say anything and when you are with them no one else exists, you exist for one another and experience great pain when they are taken away from you. With your true soul mate you are completely at ease, you never doubt that they are telling the truth or that they will prefer anyone to you and you feel totally secure and safe in their presence, like you have come home. When you first meet them you instantly recognise them as the other half of you and if it ends for whatever reason you never truly forget that person and find yourself comparing everyone else to them.

• Well, there is nothing really like soul mates. People who think they are soul mates are just too deeply in love and connect in every level. They accept the other person as they are and comfortable in their presence like you would be with your brother. They do fight like the rest of us but it's not to breaking point. The deep seated love they have for one another always sees them through. However, this does not mean that they never divorce, they do cos there is nothing like soul mates.

• If you have to ask yourself if you are soul mates then I doubt you are when you meet your soul mate you know i swear if listen to your inner voice follow it cause it is usually right. also, soul mates are very special not everyone will meet there soul mate it is something beyond explaining cause everyone experiences differently. LOVE IS LIKE MAGIC NO ONE KNOWS THE SECRETS BUT YOU BELIEVE.

• I believe I just met my true soul mate. Time will tell. I am 37 years of age and have never had this experience before. Although we met on holiday, and live in different states we can't go a day with out talking. The funny thing is when we met on our vacation we went out with a group of people to restaurants, bars and clubs. All of the employees at these places actually asked us if we were on our honeymoon rather than the 13 people we were with. The sparkle, security and conversation between us was eventful and obvious to others. I believe in fate and karma. To anyone else don't settle and don't give up. This is a feeling that words can not express

• How do you know its your soul mate? Like the vibe you get from them isn't enough of an answer to that.. Its not simple.. not at all.. but you know when it happens because there is an instant connection between the two of you.. the passion ignites your heart into dim flames which only get stronger with each growing day... And when there is distance between the two your heart longs for attention.. Sometimes its just too hard to bare and you go looking for someone else who cares.. but no one will ever compare to the first.. A soul mate is a memory that cant be reimbursed. That kind of fire will never go out.. soul mates connect on a different sort of level.. its almost as if you were psychic. But not quite.. You know its the one when from the moment you look into their eyes.. and I am telling you that NOTHING will ever feel the way that does.. No other human in the world can touch the bond you share... That's how you know its your soul mate....

• If you ever meet your true soul mate, you will know without question. You will soon realize that you will never be the same. Everything changes for you whether you can actually be with that person or not. That person will be in your heart, your thoughts, and your very soul always after you meet him or her. You have no interest in anyone else at all. It is a deep connection with someone that is on a higher level of love. It will shake your world. You cannot control it or change it no matter how hard you may try. You may feel like you have known that person forever. You feel a very strong connection to them that cannot be explained even if you don't yet know them very well. You love them totally for everything that they are. There is total and complete acceptance of that person just the way he or she is. It is an unselfish, true love. You will absolutely know. Meeting your true soul mate is so very different from anything else you have experienced. It will rock your world and you will never be the same again.

• When you meet the person who you think is your soul mate, then it doesn't matter how long you've known each other, love can happen in any amount of time. From 3 days to three weeks, to three months, to three years, you'll know if its them. If its not, then let go of the wheel and see where it steers you.

If your mother works, she may not have much time to spend with you, it is because the cost of living is so high and she wants to be able to pay the bills especially for the food and every day needs you have.

If she works she is tired or, if she is a stay-at-home mom she may not be feeling well, so medications may make her tired or just very tired from looking after the chores at home.

You could help her with some chores: possibly in taking you to school; sports practices; doctor's or dentist's appointments.

Moms tend to get tired, but be assured your mother loves you very much. Sit down with your mother and let her know how you feel so she can explain to you how much she loves you and why she is so tired. Most of all be sure you are happy and have a good education.

Also, it depends on what your mom's social life is like. If she is divorced she may feel that she wants to be loved by a man who would care for her in a different way from you, her child would. This is natural she just probably feels lonely if this is the case.