What I Know of Love

What I know of love is this:

When it happens, for real, it's not frivolous, it's not fleeting. Instead, it is strong, painful, passionate. This is the love that my grandparents had for each other, the love that my entire family grew out of. The love that created children, and grandchildren. The reason I have so many cousins and a beautiful family.

I read a lot of (frankly, disappointing) blog posts about how love is nothing more than a commitment to someone you respect. Obviously, I believe this. Yeah, love without respect and responsibility isn't really love at all. But a lot of these blogs make me feel sad, because they seem to encourage a boring, stable relationship as the ideal. Yet I knew a couple that found each other wildly attractive and alluring, and built a life on that love. And that's what I want.