Norma, I was struck while reading what you wrote, and not sure I'll explain it right, how if this is how WE feel when we love, and loving makes us compassionate, and grieves us and breaks us - then, God who loves us so much more, well how much must it break Him and grieve Him and hurt Him to see us hurting??? And just for a second there, I was struck with some kind of understanding or feeling of the deepness of God's love.

Yes love hurts - it's a risk, it isn't always rewarded, it's damn hard - everything you said above, true. And even so much harder to "love" people we don't like....like you said, easier not to love. Love turns us inside out.

But hate, is so cold and dark and alone and I don't want to imagine a world without love in it.