where there is love there is life

i titled this blog with a quote by ghandi. because i really believe that love gives us life. there are so many aspects of love that make this true in our lives. whether from family, a significant other, or from the Gospel we are given life as we love. our relationships aren't always going to be perfect, but i know that the love that exists in those relationships is. i mean, when you live at home with your family, there are going to be times of disagreement or hardship. this doesn't mean that at any point the love that exists in your home is gone. love is always there and it's what keeps you together.

until this christmas, i had spent seven months without gabriele. i don't want to be a cheese-ball about it but it was hard. it's really different communicating long distance. we talk all the time and we e-mail and see each other on the webcam but it is not the same as being around each other in real life. in person, you learn so much more through conversation, actions, gestures, expressions, etc. that you just can't convey over the internet.

this reminds me of the ces fireside elder bednar gave not too long ago as spoke of virtual life and things of that nature on the computer and internet. he spoke of the importance of human relationships and the reality and value of speaking face to face. when i think of this and my long distance relationship it makes me think of how different communication is today. it seems that we avoid that face to face contact all the time. we text instead of call. we facebook or e-mail instead of writing or stopping by. we take physical presence for granted. i'm guilty of these things and i'm a little disappointed in myself for being that way. i certainly want to be better about communicating with friends and family.

either way, all i want to say is that it was amazing seeing the love of my life again, if only for two weeks.