what is love?

"love never gives up. 
love cares more for others than for self. 
love doesn't want what it doesn't have. 
love doesn't strut, 
doesn't have a swelled head, 
doesn't force itself on others, 

isn't always 'me first,' 
doesn't fly off the handle, 
doesn't keep score of the sins of others, 
doesn't revel when others grovel, 
takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, 
puts up with anything, 
trusts God always, 
always looks for the best, 
never looks back, 
but keeps going to the end. 
love never dies." (1 Corinthians 13:3-8a, The Message)

there you go--i just answered the ultimate question, right? well, besides "what is the meaning of life?" but i guess i can tackle that one next week...

ha! if only it were that simple.

at the same time, though, it is simple. 
simply stated, anyways.

the problem is,

simple to understand doesn't mean the same thing as easy to do.

when paul gave us God's definition of love, he was pretty straightforward about it. not only did he tell us what love is, he told us (mostly, actually) what love isn't.

for valentine's week, i'm planning on a series of posts to talk about some examples of love that i have been blessed to experience in my life. though they are all huge examples of love in my life, they are not all happy and pretty. looking back at the definition of love paul gave us, i'm really at a bit of a loss to know why "happy and pretty" has become much more the expected picture of love. to me these examples are, though, powerful,

in the meantime, though, i'll leave you with a picture of two of the loves in my life, my babies :0)

 (once again, these pictures are by my sister. isn't she good? :0) )