This is a paper I wrote first semester freshman year for my ENG 101 class.

1. Brabson1
Hayley Brabson
February 28, 2008
ENG 102
Cutler
“No greater love hath any man than this…” (John 15.13). What exactly is “this”? There
are many different types of love: a type that one has for their God, one that a parent has for their
child, one that a spouse has for another, a pet owner has for their pet and that one person has for
another human being for the simple fact that they exist. It may sound very 1950’s that a person
would do a good deed just out of the goodness of their heart because the only pictures Americans
are exposed to now are of hate and war. It does happen though, and maybe if the media
broadcasted more positive images; like those of love, faith and charity it would start a chain
reaction.
The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner was Tim Tebow. His first words when he stood
at the podium to receive his award in front of America and everyone in attendance was “I would
like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving me the ability to play football” (ESPN).
He said these words before he thanked his parents, friends, coaches or anyone else. The love that a
person has for their Savior reaches beyond any other love. Tebow said his priorities were “God
then family” (ESPN). Many people call them Jesus freaks but it turns out that people with strong
social support systems live healthier lives and are more likely to over come illness. It seems that
the love that one shows to their God comes back to benefit them in the end, whether it was because
they lived a healthier life or because they had a passion to live for. Different people and cultures
believe in and worship their own God, but each religion is based on the foundation of love. Love

2. Brabson2
from a God to his followers and love from the followers to their God, this love is the foundation of
our creation to some faiths.
The love that a parent has for a child has no end. In a book by Robert Munsch his mother
would say “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living my baby you’ll be.”
That quote, however, doesn’t scratch the surface of a parent’s love for a child. The love that a
parent has for a child is unconditional. How many times have you heard of parents harboring their
children from the law after they had broken it? The parent knows the child was wrong but yet still
wants to protect them. Not all children refer to their biological mother and father as parents. For
some families it may be an uncle and an aunt, a grandmother and a grandfather or even foster
parents, but the love that one feels for the child doesn’t change.
Presidential hopeful John Edward’s met his wife Elizabeth in college at the University if
North Carolina and they married in 1977 (Crowley). They had four children and seem like the
typical family. What most do not know is that the Kerry’s know more than most about keeping the
faith. In 1996 they lost their oldest child in a car accident and less than ten years later Elizabeth
began her battle with cancer (Crowley). In 2004 she was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer
while John was running for Vice President under John Kerry (Crowley). Tests in March revealed
that the cancer is now in Elizabeth’s rib (Crowley). Elizabeth loves and believes in her husband so
much that she is fighting her cancer and was still encouraging her husband in the Presidential race.
She knows that this meant the world to him and she is determined to help him fight to win the
Presidency as he helps her fight to overcome this life threatening disease. Even though he dropped
out of the election Elizabeth promises, they will be back.
Charles de Gaulle one said “The more I get to know men, the more I find myself loving
dogs.” This sentiment is that of many pet lovers. The pet toy and clothing industry is booming in

3. Brabson3
the United States. Many people are treating their pets like children and buying them clothes and
toys and spending hundreds and sometimes even thousands of dollars on them. My mother always
says she spoils her dog because “All I have to do is feed her and she loves me. She’ll never argue
with me over curfew time or the clothes I put on her, she just does what I say.” Many people who
can’t have or who don’t want children at the moment have gotten a pet and treated it like a child.
There really is love there, as uncanny as it sounds people love their pets.
There are two types of brothers, blood brothers and something that goes so much deeper
into the soul. Ron Springs and Everson Walls were team mates on the Dallas Cowboys for four
years, but they had a much stronger bond than that (Associated Press). After their football careers
ended they kept up their friendship and their wives and children are also very close (Associated
Press). Springs suffered with diabetes for sixteen years, he lost his right foot and his big and
middle toes on his left, he was also wheel chair bound and needed dialysis three times a week
(Associated Press). He was in great need of a kidney transplant if he wanted to live. Two of
Springs’ relatives were perfect matches but things didn’t work out, that’s when Walls decided to
have a test ran to see if he could be a match, and he was (Associated Press). The operation was a
success and with Walls’ kidney Springs’ will no longer has to be on dialysis (Associated Press).
Through experience I’ve found that sometimes your closest friends are more like your brothers and
sisters. When I first came to Marshall I didn’t know anyone, so I joined a sorority to make some
friends. I ended up with 30 sisters. I love each of them dearly, even though I’m closer to some
than others. This is a love that I never imagined having with anyone outside of my hometown, yet
I found that background doesn’t matter, friendship does.
What is love? Webster’s Dictionary has twenty-eight definitions of love, but my favorite is
“a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.” Love is a selfless act that is much

4. Brabson4
bigger than one’s self. It’s something you long for, do and feel without even knowing it. There
are so many different types of love that it never ends. No matter how much a mother loves her
child, the love she has for her husband never depletes because of it, it is like an unlimited account.
Love is a truly amazing thing that can’t be explained in a few words. “True love doesn’t have a
happy ending because true love never ends” (Anonymous). Love is something that needs to be
spread around. “Pay it forward” is a common saying among those who long to do good and that’s
what love is “paying it forward.” You do not have to know someone to love them, you just do.
Every human is valuable and that value is not measured by appearance or wealth, a person is
valuable because they live. “Greater love hath no man than this…” (John 15.13). “This” is what
you want to make it, “this” can be a great thing or “this” can be something that is rarely heard of.
Works Cited

5. Brabson5
2007 Heisman Trophy Presentation. Prod. ESPN. Television. ESPN, 2007.
Annonomous. ThinkExist.com. December 2, 2007.
[http://thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/true_love].
Associated Press. “Ex-Cowboy Walls Gives Kidney to Former Teammate.” ESPN.com.
11 Mar 2007. 02 Dec 2007. [http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2784426].
Crowley, Candy. “Edwards: Wife Cancer Returns, Campaign Goes On.” CNN.com. 23
Mar 2007. 08 Dec 2007. [http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/22/edwards.2008/index.html].
Gaulle, Charles de. Pet Poem and Quote Collection. 02 Dec 2007.
[http://www.love-quotes-and-quotations.com/pet-poem.html].
Munsch, Robert. Love You Forever. Firefly: Onterio, Canada. 1986.
The Holy Bible: King James Version. Thomas Nelson: Nashville, TN. June 1989.
quot;love.quot; Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 28 Feb. 2008.
[Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/love].