… the world as it should be meets the world as it is…

Everywhere we learn that love is important, and yet we are bombarded by its failure. In the realm of the political, among the religious, in our families, and in our romantic lives, we see little indication that love informs decisions, strengthens our understanding of community, or keeps us together. This bleak picture in no way alters the nature of our longing. We still hope that love will prevail. We still believe in love’s promise. **(bell hooks, All About Love)**

… love is powerful…

… love is not all-powerful…

… love does not eliminate strife…

… love makes strife bearable…

… love does not free us from hard things…

… love itself is a hard thing…

… we expect from love what love cannot give…

… better to think of love as a capable captain in stormy seas…

… still, sometimes the ship founders and all is lost…