to love at all is to be vulnerable

Happy Valentine's Day friends! I just inhaled a box of candy hearts (brought over here by my sister--yay!), will soon start on my Reese's Heart (saving the best for last you know), and have been pondering the true meaning of love. Not the mushy romantic kind (although there's nothing wrong with that!), but the act of loving strangers and friends no matter who they are or where they're from or what they've done. Most importantly, loving God. How it is so good, yet so hard at the same time. How it hurts, but yields great joy in the presence of our Heavenly Father.
I love this C.S. Lewis quote from his book, The Four Loves:

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”

Loving is becoming vulnerable, but I think it's well worth the risk, don't you?

And in case you needed any more smiles on this day of sweetness, I think this video might fit the bill. :)