Lasting Love

Forgiveness, Inspiration, Love, Marriage 0

“There is a great deal of ‘how to’ literature about keeping love alive that can be distilled into two words:  persistent effort.  When we are held back, pushed aside, ignored, hurt, rejected, we must be like the heart that keeps beating even in the damaged body; we must persist.  If we are not prepared to be resilient in love, we need to be prepared for a short relationship!

“Nearly everyone is guilty of having thrown up their hands in despair over some seemingly loveless act or unsolvable problem in relating.  Every attempt at rectifying the situation seemed to push us into another dizzying failure until we finally lost the motivation, if not the reason, to try once more.

“Since we cannot live without love, we must rise up and try again.  It helps if we keep in mind that there are few obstacles that can resist perseverance, determination, patience, and most of all, more love.”

–Leo Buscaglia, Born for Love, p. 33

Never Really “Over”

Love 0

“There is a natural movement to loving, as well.  It does not begin and end any more than it remains fixed at one point in our lives.  It is continuous and ever expanding, finding abundant expression in new experiences, while living forever in warm memories.”

— Leo Buscaglia, Born for Love, p. 24

Love is Greater

Forgiveness, Inspiration, Love 0

“But forgiveness means that this real and horrible offense shall not separate us.  Forgiveness means that we will no longer use the offense to drive a wedge between us, hurting and injuring one another.  Forgiveness means that the power of love that holds us together is greater than the power of the offense that separates us.  That is forgiveness.  In forgiveness we are releasing our offenders so that they are no longer bound to us.  In a very real sense we are freeing them to receive God’s grace.  We are also inviting our offenders back into the circle of fellowship.”

— Richard J. Foster, Prayer:  Finding the Heart’s True Home, p. 188

“There is no failure where love is concerned.”

Inspiration, Love 0

“As long as we continue to seek love, some failure is bound to occur.  But hurt is a strong impetus for action.  When we seek to find the causes of our failures, we always emerge wiser.  We gain new alternatives for our old behaviors and acquire new resources for future encounters.  This is certainly not failure.  Rather, it is the way that produces lasting change.  It is the way of insight and growth.  It is the way of love.”

–Leo Buscaglia, Born for Love:  Reflections on Loving, p. 7