Love is tying a shoe for the 30th time.
Love is making dinner, just sitting down and needing to get up to get someone seconds.
Love is listening to screams that they hate you, but not giving in because you know they need boundaries.
Love is mountains of clothes to wash that are literally never ending.
Love is sacrificing your Saturday to go watch a baseball game.
Love is giving hugs and kisses to kids lined up in a row needing a little affection they were never shown.
Love is endless hours of doctor, dentist, and counseling appointments.
Love is learning to discern the lie and sticking to the consequences.
Love is hours of washing hair, braiding, brushing out the snarls.
Love is knowing you are being manipulated and still being kind.
Love is ignoring the looks and whispers at the grocery store as your family does not look "normal."
Love is hours of homework, tears, letters to teachers to get back on track.
Love is a bedtime story, with an anticipated kiss and hug.
Love is being woken up way before your alarm clock every day because they don't want to sleep in.
Most of all, what I have learned in this new foster season we are in...
Love is action.
It is not how I feel.
It is not what I say.
It is all the things I do that don't always seem to matter.
Love is action.