Love

I read a quote today that really pulled my heart strings. It was from Dieter F. Utchdorf's talk "You are my hands". If you would like to read it, here's the link: You Are My Hands

"Love is what inspired our Heavenly Father to create our spirits; it is what led our Savior to the Garden of Gethsemane to make Himself a ransom for our sins. Love is the grand motive of the plan of salvation; it is the source of happiness, the ever-renewing spring of healing, the precious fountain of hope. As we extend our hands and hearts toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to us. Our own spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger. We become happier, more peaceful, and more receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit."

This thought really made me start thinking. Love is something that only grows, and I feel that our capacity to love only grows too. We are born as helpless infants who require others to love us so that we may grow. At a young age we learn to love our parents and siblings. And as we continue to grow up our love begins to not only be within our family setting but between friends, teachers, leaders, and others. 

When a new person comes into our life and we begin to love them, we don't replace that love with someone who already had it. Our love doesn't diminish from those we already love. We continue to love those we already loved and our hearts just grow a little bit more to make room to love that new person.

New people come into our lives all the time! I have learned to love roommates, new friends, wards members, and co-workers. In Jerusalem I have really learned to love those I am surrounded by. My love for my roommates, all the students, my teachers, leaders, and those that live in this city continues to grow each day while here.

If my heart has learned to love so many people throughout the course of my life, I can only imagine how many more people I will love as I continue to broaden my horizons and meet others. What a blessing Heavenly Father has given us to not be limited in our capacity to love.

While thinking about this Jordan kept coming into my mind. I've looked at other couples relationships throughout my life and have a lot of couples that I find role models. I always wanted my husband to love me and me to love him as much as a lot of the couples I see. I wanted a love between he and I that was so pure and so strong and so eternal. But I didn't know how I would recognize it when it came.

And then he came. And now I ask myself how I ever was so happy without him there.

Never before have I loved someone like I love that boy. And everyday I just love him a little bit more. I can only imagine how full of love my heart will be after being married to him for 10 or 20 or... 60 years. :)