Prize or Gift?

In the last few days I've been thinking about love, and how people view and pursue it.

I'm friends with some people that look at love as a prize to be won. The chase is the rush they look for, the conquest the spoils they seek. But then, once they have the love they have worked to gain, the rush ends. The game has been won, so it's time to move on to the next match.

I have other friends that look at love as a gift for which they are unworthy. When any form of love is thrown in their direction,  they hold on with a death grip. The fear is that the love will soon be gone, and all will be lost.

Neither of these approaches to love are the best, and I've been guilty of both. I wish I could say that my guilt was far in the past, when I was young and foolish. But I've also committed these mistakes--at least to a degree--since I've been older and foolish.

What I've finally realized, through many ups and downs, is that love is both a prize and a gift. A prize that, once won, is cherished as the gift it truly is. A gift that, once received, reassures the receiver of how very worthy he or she is of that love.

I pray we each find that love in our lives--and recognize it when we do.

“There are two sorts of romantics: those who love, and those who love the adventure of loving.”



                                          ~Lesley Blanch

"Love is a gift. You can't buy it, you can't find it, someone has to give it to you. Learn to be receptive of that gift."



                                         ~Kurt Langner