unconditional love and who you would spend a day with, if given the chance.
Many of us dream of finding the magic lamp with a genie that would grant our fondest wish. When considering what we would wish for, one desire that comes to many people's mind is being able to spend a day with anyone, whether they are alive, dead or imaginary.

My Godmother

If given the choice of spending just one day with someone, I would welcome the chance to spend it with my godmother, who sadly is no longer alive. Though she was not related to me by blood, she filled the void that was left by my real grandparents.

When I was growing up, I didn't have a happy home life. My godmother, however, was always there for me. She was the one person that could be counted on to love me unconditionally, and for a an unhappy child,…...

Merit: eflection
David Brooks (2015) makes a valid point in his New York Times article "Love and Merit." His aim is to show that parental love is more important and effective than meritocratic love. The difference between the two is that the former is unconditional and gives the child the sense that he or she is loved no matter what -- even if he or she fails at everything the child attempts, the parent still loves the child. Meritocratic love, on the other hand, is based the child's success at various tasks, whether school, sports, or sociality. Meritocratic love, Brooks argues, reinforces the wrong ideas in the child -- namely, that the child is only valuable so long as he performs well. But this notion sets up a false idea within society. It props up a person's sense of self-worth by gauging the person's value according to standards that do…...

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References

Brooks, D. (2015). Love and Merit. The New York Times. Retrieved from  http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/opinion/david-brooks-love-and-merit.html?smid=pl-share 

Shakespeare, W. (n.d.). "Sonnet 116." Shakespeare Online. Retrieved from  http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/116.html

A good example of this can be seen in the passage which says, "She gave him a photograph of a boy who was now five. She said you stopped writing. I thought you were dead. He looked at the photograph of the boy who would grow up to look like him, who, although the man didn't know it would go to college, fall in love, out of love and become a famous writer." (Krause) This is illustrating some of the losses that Leo is seeing with Alma and his son.
The way that love creates bonds for Leo is through observing his son from a distance and seeing him develop over the years. This occurs after Alma dies and he watches him become a famous writer. At the same time, Leo wants to receive the credit for writing a novel that was published. These events are showing how love creates…...

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Works Cited

Krause, Nicole. The History of Love. New York: W.W. Norton, 2005, Print.

MLA Format.  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/06/

A practical book review of Surrender to Love - Expanded Edition (2015) by David G. Benner I. SUMMARY
Primary goal
The primary goal of counseling comes out through Benner’s definition of conversion and repentance. According to Benner, repentance is shunning the world and giving self to Jesus. On the other hand, the conversion is a life-long journey of change aiming to take the image of God (p. 71-73). The journey of conversion is a summation of the author’s goal in counseling, the transformation in the spiritual being to become Christlike. According to Benner, this journey requires selflessness, unforceful, effortless, and unpretentious love towards God (p. 73).
Development of problems and personal need
The problems and personal needs characteristic to man, according to Benner are as a result of the fact that humans have spurned the love by God to be what they commonly refer to as freedom (p. 27). Humans have constantly sought for freedom,…...

Friendship, Marriage and God
One of the most compelling themes of the Christian gospel is love. Christian love refers to many things including the divine love of God for Creation, and also to human love for each other. Human love can manifest in a number of different ways or types of relationships. Marriage and friendship are two of the most important and universal types of human relationships that are based on love. In spite of differences in culture, language, and ethnicity, all Christians perceive and communicate love in similar ways. Christian love as a strong theological component, as for the first time in recorded history, God became equal to love: "God is love," (1 John 4:8). The Bible also shows how and why love can be psychologically as well as spiritually transformative, which is why the theme of love remains constant throughout the New Testament. Essentially, there are three distinct but…...

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Works Cited

Carmichael, E.DH Friendship: Interpreting Christian Love. New York: T&T Clark, 2004.

Cooke, Bernard. "Christian Marriage: Basic Sacrament." In Scott, Kieran and Warren, Michael. Perspectives on Marriage. 3rd edition. Oxford University Press, 2006.

Lawler, Michael G. "Marriage in the Bible." In Scott, Kieran and Warren, Michael. Perspectives on Marriage. 3rd edition. Oxford University Press, 2006.

Scott, Kieran and Warren, Michael. Perspectives on Marriage. 3rd edition. Oxford University Press, 2006.

Christian gospel is love. Christian love is conceived of as the divine love of God for Creation, but equally as important to Christ's teachings is human love. Human love can manifest in a number of different ways or types of relationships. Marriage and friendship are two of the most important and universal types of human relationships that are based on love. In spite of differences in culture, language, and ethnicity, all Christians perceive and communicate love in similar ways. Christian love as a strong theological component, as for the first time in recorded history, God became equal to love: "God is love," (1 John 4:8). The Bible also shows how and why love can be psychologically as well as spiritually transformative, which is why the theme of love remains constant throughout the New Testament. Essentially, there are three distinct but related types of love in Christian doctrine: agape, eros,…...

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Works Cited

Carmichael, E.DH Friendship: Interpreting Christian Love. New York: T&T Clark, 2004.

Cooke, Bernard. "Christian Marriage: Basic Sacrament." In Scott, Kieran and Warren, Michael. Perspectives on Marriage. 3rd edition. Oxford University Press, 2006.

Lawler, Michael G. "Marriage in the Bible." In Scott, Kieran and Warren, Michael. Perspectives on Marriage. 3rd edition. Oxford University Press, 2006.

Scott, Kieran and Warren, Michael. Perspectives on Marriage. 3rd edition. Oxford University Press, 2006.

But it was from the difference between us, not from the affinities and likenesses, but from the difference, that love came: and it was itself the bridge, the only bridge, across what divided us" (Le Guin).
The "love" referred to in this quotation that arose between the female Estraven and Ai stemmed from distinctions of gender, since it originated due to the attractive nature of Estraven as a woman and of Ai as a man. However, this love actually transcends mere gender, which is evinced by the fact that the love is not sexually consummated in a physical form, but is rather consummated in an unconditional form of love that is the basis of the "friendship" that arose between Ai and Estraven. This love is perhaps the ultimate expression of the loyalty and fidelity that Estraven always demonstrated towards Ai, and which now is finally reciprocated by the latter. So…...

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Works Cited

Jordison, Sam. "Back to the Hugos: The Left Hand of Darkness by Usula K. Le Guin." The Guardian. 2010. Web.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2010/mar/25/left-hand-darkness-ursula-guin 

LeFanu, Sarah. "The King is Pregnant." The Guardian. 2004. Web.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2004/jan/03/sciencefictionfantasyandhorror.ursulakleguin 

Mahoney, Simon. "Le Guin, Left Hand of Darkness." The Future Fire.  http://reviews.futurefire.net/2009/07/le-guin-left-hand-of-darkness-1969.html 

Thea. "Book Review: The Left Hand of Darkness." The Book Smugglers. 2010. Web.  http://thebooksmugglers.com/2010/01/book-review-the-left-hand-of-darkness-by-ursula-k-leguin.html

Like Stephen, Sachi's illness is feared by many because it is contagious -- another reason Stephen has been sent away is not just to recuperate, but because of the fear that he may infect his young sister. Sachi's courage in the face of social exclusion and the love she feels for Matsu inspires Stephen to have courage to rebuild his life, even while the world is falling apart and he struggles with his illness.
By talking to Sachi, Stephen learns more about the complexities of Matsu's character. Matsu is initially a closed and rather taciturn man, but this surface appearance conceals great strength. "I believe Matsu always had inner strength, even as a young boy," says Sachi (Tsukiyama 80). Like Sachi, the gardener has been able to weather adversity while still holding within his heart compassion and love towards others. He is clearly the samurai of the title, and in…...

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Works Cited

Tsukiyama, Gail. The Samurai's Garden. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996.

Love)
Defining Love

"Love is not a feeling. It's an ability." -- Peter Hedges

When asked to define "love" in one word, many adjectives come to mind -- wonderful, unconditional, mysterious, and powerful. Love is considered one of the greatest emotions known to human kind and ranges from familial love to romantic devotion to the benign love that exists between good friends (osenburg, 2009). Love can be a sentiment or an action; a noun (love is a many splendored thing) or a verb (love like you've never been hurt). Love creates families, motivates acts of kindness, and inspires people to creativity. We view it as a protective force, such as a mother's love for a child. However, it can also move into more dangerous territory. Thousands perish in wars fought for love of God and country. Truly, there are myriad lens through which to examine this complex concept.

Webster's dictionary generally defines love…...

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References

Elliott, M. (2012). The Emotional Core of Love: The Centrality of Emotion in Christian Psychology and Ethics. Journal of Psychology & Christianity, 31(2), 105-117.

love. 2012. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved October 12, 2012, from  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/love 

Mills, S. (2011). Defining Love: A Philosophical, Scientific, and Theological Engagement - By Thomas Jay Oord. Religious Studies Review, 37(3), 196. doi:10.1111/j.1748-0922.2011.01532_30.x.

Oord, T. (2012). Love, Wesleyan Theology, and Psychological Dimensions of Both. Journal of Psychology & Christianity, 31(2), 144-156.

Love is a word that is often overused and sometimes underappreciated. And despite the confusion some people have in separating romantic love from sensual pleasure, or real love from friendship -- love is among the most powerful ideas in the world. Given all the tension and hatefulness in the world, it is the opinion of this paper that any love is good love, no matter how bizarre or byzantine it may appear to society.
The widely diverse and dissimilar kinds of love that writer Raymond Carver alludes to in his short story simply reflect the vast chasm between one personality and the next. It may seem blatantly obvious to say this, but individual approaches to love -- and reflections on love -- are of course based on each person's life experiences. Bob Dylan wrote a song -- "Love is Just a Four-Letter ord" -- that has an ironic twist to it,…...

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Works Cited

Carver, Raymond. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. New York: Random

House, 2009.

paradox of the perfect selfless citizen O-90
On one hand, the soft, unified and always feminine presence of O-90 in Yevgeny Zamyatin's novel e stands as an idealized example of unquestioned obedience to the authority of a unified and totalitarian state. The future dystopia of e in the form of One State in e has entirely erased the concept of human individuality and independent thought. It has produced a citizen body that is entirely permeated by its beliefs, of which the spherical O-90 is perhaps the most obvious physical and psychological example. However, O-90's existence in a state of emptiness and her willingness to become a psychic void lacking a sense of self also means she is paradoxically capable of embodying the ideal of unconditional love, more than anyone else in the novel.

Of course, unconditional love is something hardly tolerated as a product of a unified state ideology. Love is…...

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Work Cited

Zamyatin, Yevgeny. We. New York: Eos, 1984.

These are far different ways of symbolizing similar coping skills, but they do have many things in common. Both poems use symbolism to mean more to the reader, and they make the reader think about their own life, too. They do this by painting vivid word pictures.
Imagery in these poems is very important in getting the details across. Frost uses the peaceful image of a snowy wood to contrast with the narrator's clearly busy life. Frost writes, "He will not see me stopping here / To watch his woods fill up with snow" (Frost). The reader can almost see the image of the woods at dusk, and the silent falling flakes of snow. Who would not want to linger there? oethke's poem also uses vivid imagery to make the poem stick in the mind of the reader. He writes, "The hand that held my wrist / Was battered on…...

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References

Frost, Robert. "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." Personal Web Page. 2005. 14. Oct. 2005.  http://www.ketzle.com/frost/snowyeve.htm 

Roethke, Theodore. "My Papa's Waltz." FavoritePoem.org. 2005. 14 Oct. 2005. http://www.favoritepoem.org/poems/roethke/waltz.html

I felt a little said I couldn't take them all home and show them to Grandma, but that was soon overcome by feeling good about letting them go instead of being greedy and wasting nature's beautiful resources.

That just had to be one of the best days of my life because I still remember it with warmth in my heart, appreciation for what I learned, and a deep love for Grandpa for taking the time to teach me.

He saved my cousin Richard's life too. I was eight. Richard was twelve, and almost didn't make it to thirteen. It was Christmas vacation at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Arkansas. A heavy snow had fallen, and us kids were having an all-out snowball fight near the lake. Of course, Grandpa had warned us several times not to go near the lake, but, hey, we were kids and we were having fun, and who…...

However, in the United States, the Establishment Clause has created a wall between church and state, and the morality of church policies cannot impact the laws of the land. hile people are free to believe that being gay is immoral or unnatural, their religious beliefs cannot and should not hamper the rights and the liberties of others, including the right to the pursuit of happiness of gay couples who regard their love as natural and good.
Another objection raised to gay adoption that is frequently cited is the idea that children will experience negative psychological consequences because they will be teased at school. But these objections could also be raised against the ability of biracial couples to wed and to have children, or simply the children of any religious or minority group who suffers persecution. The problem is not the teasing of other students, but the prejudices of society. Such…...

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Works Cited

Almanzar, Yolanne. "Florida gay adoption ban is ruled unconstitutional." The New York Times.

26 Nov 2008.

23 Nov 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/us/26florida.html 

Belkin, Lisa. "What's good for the kids." The New York Times. 11 Aug 2009. 23 Nov 2011.

As Jason states,"Twas not for the woman's sake I wedded the king's daughter, my present wife" (Euripides 547). This shows that he has no real regard for his new wife. He also goes on to describe how they will benefit from the marriage. In part, Jason is telling the truth. He has married to further his position. His lie to Medea is that he pretends he has done it for their family, when his only real concern is himself. This shows that Jason is driven and unscrupulous, focused on getting what he wants and willing to manipulate and wrong others to achieve his own needs. This difference in what they want from life is part of the reason that Jason is an adulterer and Charles is not. Jason's drive for success is the reason he is not faithful to Medea. Jason's focus exclusively on his own personal success also…...

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Works Cited

Euripides. Medea. New York: Dover Publications, 1993.

Flaubert, Gustav. Madame Bovary. New York: Penguin, 1982.

Essay: Understanding the Multifaceted Nature of Love Love, an emotion as ancient as humanity itself, has been a perennial topic of fascination, inspiration, and perplexity. Often considered the most profound and powerful of human emotions, love transcends mere feelings, influencing our actions, thoughts, and life choices. This essay explores the complexity and diversity of love, delving into its various forms and impacts on human life. At its core, love is an intense feeling of deep affection, a force that can forge unbreakable bonds and connections. It manifests in numerous forms - the unconditional love of a parent, the passionate love....

1. Embracing Differences: Life with a Special Needs Sibling

2. The Impact of Growing Up with a Special Needs Sibling

3. Navigating Challenges: A Personal Reflection on Life with a Special Needs Sibling

4. Finding Strength and Resilience in Caring for a Special Needs Sibling

5. Celebrating Differences: A Journey with a Special Needs Sibling

6. Lessons Learned: The Joys and Struggles of Having a Special Needs Sibling

7. A Unique Bond: Exploring the Relationship with a Special Needs Sibling

8. Finding Balance: Managing Responsibilities as a Sibling to Someone with Special Needs

9. Empathy and Understanding: Insights from Living with a Special Needs Sibling

10. The Beauty of....

Of course! Here are a few potential essay topics related to love:

1. The different facets of love: exploring the complexities of romantic, familial, platonic, and self-love.

2. The role of love in shaping our identities: how does love from others or for ourselves impact who we are as individuals?

3. The cultural and societal influences on our perceptions of love: how do media, family, and society shape our understanding of what love should be?

4. Love and mental health: examining the connection between love, attachment styles, and mental well-being.

5. Unconditional love: is it truly possible, and what does it look like in practice?

6.....

Top Dog Breeds in the United States

Introduction

Dogs have become an indispensable part of American households, providing companionship, security, and unconditional love. With over 190 recognized breeds, choosing the perfect canine companion can be a daunting task. This comprehensive guide outlines the most popular dog breeds in the United States, offering insights into their characteristics, temperaments, and suitability for different lifestyles.

1. French Bulldog

Rank: 4 (2023)
Size: Small
Temperament: Friendly, playful, affectionate
Characteristics: Brachycephalic (flat-faced), short coat, large eyes

Known for its adorable appearance and charming personality, the French Bulldog ranks among the most beloved breeds. They are excellent companions for families....