When is love?

Someone tweeted "How do you know when you are in love?" First of all it is totally subjective.  And I reserve the right to change my opinion at any time.  Today is Friday, ruled by Venus.  The goddess of love and beauty.  Friday night is date night for many people.  A time to enjoy a meal, some entertainment, and somebody's company. What better way to express love and beauty?  What better day to talk about love? I know when I  am in love when I drop my scales and stop measuring.  Anything that comes after "I love you" is a measurement.  "I love you but" or "I love you when" is not love.  Love is caring no matter what, not counting the cost.  When Newt Gringrich divorced his first wife because she had cancer, that was not love.  It may have been at one time.  But it sounds more like a business arrangement.  "You are starting to cost me something, so time to cut my losses and move on".  There is a great Jimmy Stewart movie called "Seventh Heaven".  Jimmy is a sewer worker who falls for a prostitute in Paris.  They are in love because they are willing to stay together no matter what.  War, character flaws, and blindness can't put a damper on their love.  I know that is a movie.  But that story is being played out in real life over and over again.  Spouses that stay together through cancer, alzheimer's, layoff's, whatever.  There are marriages that don't last through such things. And some marriages start out as love and wind up as business arrangements.  Some marriages start out as business arangements and end up as love.  I can say that I have been lucky.  I got to see my parents and grandparents stay together till the end.  They believed that love would find a way.  And it did.  I have loved two women.  I would have married them no matter what.  Love would've found a way.  They didn't feel the same way so I expressed my love by lettiing them go.  Love is wanting what is best for someone.  To quote Leo Buscaglia "Love is open arms."  Now when I meet someone I have my scales.  Does she measure up?  That may be okay for dating someone, but it is not love.  Will lightning strike three times?  Maybe, I hope. I will be surprised if it happens. It is a great feeling.

In Peace, Love, and Light,
Enoch