A few folks here have mentioned love as a choice...yes. So many choices embedded in that one choice: to be kind, merciful, present, accountable to and with another. To choose to stand beside another...and remain when all hell breaks loose. To choose a commitment...day after day after day.

I think of marriage vows -- and how they can relate to all our intimate relations. We don't make vows as such with our dear friends, our children, our relatives, our animal companions, our students, etc. ... but it's interesting to imagine what they might be.

I've read (three times!) a marvelous book called A General Theory of Love; it's by Thomas Lewis, MD, and two other physicians. It is a beautiful blend of brain/social science and stories/poetry. It is an urgent call to action --> to love actively. It's a wake-up call, and states in no uncertain terms that we need to love and be loved or we wither and die. Beautiful book.

I also think of love as a call-and-response of hearts...

Roo