This is part of an email from a dear friend, Naomi:

Lately I have been thinking a lot about love, so a lot of my reading has been centered on this one theme. I came across an interview between an American and Thich Nhat Hanh and pulled these quotes, which I thought were incredible, so I wanted to share them and see if they sparked any reaction from you:

1) Love: "the will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth" - I love that because it completely bypasses your own needs and implies you only extend yourself in the service of another for love. It's similar to monks, for example, devoting their lives to the service of God. By surrendering, they ultimately receive an infinite amount of love and joy back. Too often we look to our loved one to fulfill our own needs, and then feel disappointed when they fall short of our expectations, and we realize that in our quest for fulfillment, we have fallen short of theirs.

2) "love is the active concern for the life and growth of that which we love"

3) "A good teacher is someone who can help you go back and touch the true teacher within, because you already have that insight within you." - Ok, this is going to sound really corny, but you do that for me. And sometimes without us even speaking. Because of the deep respect I have for you, there have been occasions in my life where I will be pondering a certain course of action, and some conversation we have had will make me feel capable of choosing the right course of action. I'll admit that I am not always willing to follow it - but sometimes the simple thought of you reminds me that "I can do it". (3.23.06)

If you'd like to read the interview, On Building a Community of Love, here's the link: http://www.lifepositive.com/spirit/masters/thich-nhat-hanh/thich-nhat-hanh.html

Love doesn't exist in isolation. It is in the giving. Or perhaps rather, it is the giving. It is vital that we take the time, to be for the people in our lives, a source of strength such that they know they will persevere and even overcome. In my (albeit limited) experience, this is the paradox of life: In seeking to be complete on your own, you are frustrated over and over again. In seeking to complete others and by being really present in those relationships, you will find yourself complete, oftentimes without even realizing how you got there. It never ceases to amaze me, how much you gain by giving away.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. - Matthew 16:25 (KJV)

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. - 1 John 4:8 (KJV)

Therefore, by synthesizing the ideas in the above verses, you get the following: You gain your life by giving it away out of love.

Disclaimer: So that people still feel comfortable sending me emails, I want to state for the record that I did check with Naomi before I posted part of her email here.