The Flower of My Life

Love…
…is tested by time. Like water, some evaporates over time till little to nothing remains. Then there is love that flows onward keeping its depth and fullness like a spring fed pond ever flowing fresh, strong and inviting.

From a Robert Browning letter to Elizabeth Barrett Dec. 31, 1845
victorian_couple_20_by_digimaree-d4ystqk…this is my first song,
my true song –
this love I bear you –
I look into my heart
and then let it go forth
under that name – love.
I am more than mistrustful
of many other feelings in me:
they are not earnest enough;
so far true enough –
but this is all the flower of my life
which you call forth
and which lies at your feet.

A Sort of Devine Accident

Love…
…in its truest form is not bound by the passage of time; much of what once was felt within, remains. Years temper the treasures of the heart and the object of one’s emotion does not need a present tense to continue to be loved.

English Novelist, Critic and Dramatist, Seymour Walpole
romantic couple walking awayThe most wonderful
of all things in life,
I believe, is the discovery
of another human being
with whom one’s relationship
has a glowing depth,
beauty and joy…
This inner progressiveness of love
between two human beings
is a most marvelous thing.
It cannot be found by looking for it
or by passionately wishing for it.
It is a sort of Divine accident.

Extravagant and Bold

Love…
… of youth is extravagant and bold with feelings fresh and new. Both captivating and confusing is the arrival of first love: a beautiful paradox.

From Young Love by American lyrical poet Sara Teasdale
name in the sandI wrote his name along the beach,
I love the letters so.
Far up it seemed and out of reach,
For still the tide was low.
But oh, the sea came creeping up,
And washed the name away,
And on the sand where it had been
A bit of sea-grass lay.
A bit of sea-grass on the sand,
Dropped from a mermaid’s hair —
Ah, had she come to kiss his name
And leave a token there?

Ripple Through Time

Love…
…echoes forward through generations. Though my time was long ago, I wrote down what was in my heart and left it behind. My words ripple through time to others who will understand my love for you.

Written by Elizabeth Barrett to Robert Browning May 6, 1846
I have been drawn back into life
by your means and for you…
and I think of you with
an unspeakable gratitude always!
No other could have done this for me –
it was not possible,
except by you.
Wholly
and ever
yours I am.

Not Perfected Till It Is Shared

Love…
…pours adrenaline into the blood, increases blood pressure and accelerates the heart. It moves mind and spirit until all are playing in a spontaneous symphony in near perfect pitch.

Scottish historical novelist and dramatic writer Jane Porter
Happiness is a sunbeam
which may pass through
a thousand bosoms
without losing a particle
of its original ray;
nay, when it strikes
on a kindred heart,
like the converged light
on a mirror,
it reflects itself
with redoubled brightness.
It is not perfected till it is shared.

When It Is True and Real

Love…
…brings understanding and empathy when it is true and real. I’m grateful for when I am feeling down and you say encouraging words; when you can tell I need to be alone and give me space; and when I need it most you say or write something that makes me feel loved near the very moment I need it.

American actress Kirstie Alley
No matter how hard you try,
you can’t close your heart forever.
And the minute you open it up,
you never know what’s going
to come in. But when it does,
you just have to go for it!
Because if you don’t,
there’s not point in being here.

Inside One Is Changed

Love…
…almost never announces its coming in advance. Instead it arrives like being unexpectedly side-swiped in a sudden collision with nothing to show for it’s impact on the outside; only inside is one changed.

English playwright and novelist Charles Langbridge Morgan
There is
no surprise
more magical
than the
surprise
of being
loved.
It is God’s
finger on
man’s
shoulder.

In Their Nature

Love…
…is felt the most profoundly by those who have known the least of it: those starved for love. Like a few morsels can bring life to one starving, just a little love can save a dying heart.

American novelist and screenwriter Nicholas Sparks
Someday
you’ll
find
someone
special
again.
People who’ve
been in love
once usually do.
It’s in their nature.

Glad To Be Sick

Love…
…is a bewildering necessity; a sweet dis-ease that is high infectious. When the illness strikes, many victims are glad to be sick and happily bear the affliction life long. Some get cured, but the remedy is the loss of love.

Quote from English author Jacqueline Jill “Jackie” Collins
Falling in love is like getting hit by a truck
and yet not being mortally wounded;
just sick to your stomach,
high one minute, low the next.
Starving hungry but unable to eat;
hot, cold, full of hope and enthusiasm,
with momentary depressions that wipe you out.
It is also not being able to remove the smile
from your face, loving life
with a mad passionate intensity,
and feeling ten years younger.

The Joy of Love

Love…
…true and good, gives purpose to living just as light gives beauty to sun’s rise and set. Everything has more meaning through the eyes of one who has the joy of love.

“Simply Love” by Oklahoma Poet Hazel Mae Bell
The world is poetry,
the birds
and bees,
The flowers,
the grass,
the ants,
the trees,
The clouds that drift,
the sky so blue,
the world is lovely,
’cause I love you.