Everything I know about love, I learned from my grandmother — my baka, as we say in Serbian.

My mother’s mother has been the driving force behind my sister and me for as long as I can remember. When I think of her, I think of childhood. My parents worked tirelessly when we were growing up, doing everything they could to provide for us. For that, I will always be grateful. But it was my grandmother who raised us day to day.

She was there every afternoon after school with a warm meal waiting on the table. She had our clothes laid out for the next morning. There was always a small toy, a sweet treat, or some little surprise; often bought with money she didn’t really have, just to see us smile.

She was there to teach us values from a young age. Values I still live by today.

She has been everything at different moments in my life: a shoulder to cry on when things fall apart, a friend when I need advice, a grandmother when I need warmth and comfort, and a parent when I need tough love and discipline.

But above all, she is love in its purest form.

When I think of my baka, I think of unconditional love — the kind that puts others first even when you are exhausted, struggling, or carrying your own burdens. I will never forget the time she had two broken arms and still insisted on taking care of us. Even then, she kept the entire household running and made sure the house always felt like a home.

Her life has been defined by putting others first: friends, family, her husband, and later her grandchildren. From her, I learned what loyalty truly means: a quiet but unwavering devotion to the people you love, no matter what life throws at you.

She always says: don’t sit at a table where your friend isn’t welcome.

Loyalty to her isn't just a word. It is a way of living. In relationships, she believes your partner reflects who you are. Choose wisely, she would say. And once you choose, you commit fully. Love means staying when things get hard, when you argue, when the easy feeling fades. The grass is never greener somewhere else — it grows where you water it.

That lesson has stayed with me.

Whether in friendships, relationships, or family, loyalty is something I carry with pride because of her. The truth is that unconditional love doesn’t always come back to you in equal measure. Often, the people who give the most receive the least. My grandmother has certainly given more than she has ever received.

But that is exactly what makes her extraordinary.

Her love was never transactional. It is simply who she is.

And the same integrity guided every part of her life. In her work, in her relationships, in her principles — she never needed to question which side she stood on. Her moral compass is unwavering, something she instilled in us from the moment we were old enough to understand.

Although I never had the chance to meet my grandfather on my mother’s side, I know the story of their marriage well. He was ill for most of his life, and my grandmother carried the weight of the household on her shoulders. She raised my mother, cared for her husband, worked tirelessly, and somehow still managed to hold everything together.

And later, she did it all again for us.

She is the strongest person I know.

Everything I understand about love — loving deeply, loving loyally, loving without conditions — comes from her. She taught me that when we love, we do it wholeheartedly. When we choose a partner, we choose with intention. And when we call someone a friend, we never give them a reason to question our loyalty.

That is bakina ljubav.

And it is the kind of love that shapes a life. Volim te bako.