~<>~<>~ first comes love, then comes marriage ~<>~<>~

...but what is love?

how do you define it?

Is it merely attraction?  Being able to communicate well?  Having fun together?  Numerous common or similar interests?  Caring for another?

As we had this discussion in class, it was interesting to see that sometimes love can be a difficult thing to describe.  there are 4 different kinds of love:

eros
          intimate/romantic love, sexual intimacy

agape
         interest in one's well being, even without knowing them

philia
        brotherly love

storge
        familial love, parents <----> children, sibling <---->sibling

I guess after discussing this topic in class I had somewhat forgotten about how there are different types of love.  It made me think about how the world views love and how I view love.

My teacher also asked us if we wanted a more companionate or passionate love.  I definitely would have to say companionate.  What a firm foundation that is!  To truly know someone and for them to know you is a beautiful thing, to me.  A quote I found on a coworker's wall describes love, to me, very well:

"True love 'beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, edureth all things'...That is ultimately a description of Christ's love - He is the great example of one who bore and believed and hoped and endured.  We are invited to do the same in our courtship and in our marriage to the best of our ability.  Bear up and be strong.  Be hopeful and believing.  Some things in life we have little or no control over.  These have to be endured.  Some disappointments have to be lived with in love and in marriage.  These are not things anyone wants in life, but sometimes they come.  And when they come, we have to bear them; we have to believe; we have to hope for an end to such sorrows and difficulty; we have to endure until things come right in the end.  One of the great purposes of true love is to help each other in these times.  No one ought to have to face such trials alone.  We can endure almost anything if we have someone at our side who truly loves us, who is easing the burden and lightening the load."

I hope that I can not only find someone who possesses this desire and ability, but I hope that I can work even harder to become this person.  What a blessing it is to love and be loved!