Dear Adland Friends, I received an email today that I want to share with you below. But first, an editorial :-) My inspiration for this forum and for the web-based business I'm building, was my grandfather, whose story I posted in an earlier thread. He was one of my most treasured mentors, and when it came to love, he excelled! After losing my grandmother when they were both 88 years of age, after more than 60 years of marriage, Granddad was lost with out her. Rather than pining away and dying himself, Granddad continued to attend church and AARP/Senior Citizen activities. He found love not once, but twice in his ninth decade. Unfortunately, his first new love passed away before they could marry. But he did marry again, at the age of 92, and had another five years or so of active life before passing over at the age of 98. Granddad lived it... LIFE IN ABUNDANCE COMES ONLY THROUGH GREAT LOVE ------------------------------------------- There is no force more potent than love. Take away love and your world is a tomb. Your life echoes emptiness without love. With it, your life will vibrate with warmth and meaning. Even during hardship, love will shine through. As you look back upon the events in your life you will find that the moments that stand out, the moments when you have really lived, are the moments when you have done things in a spirit of love. If you have it, you don't need to have anything else, and if you don't have it, it doesn't matter what else you have. Therefore, search for love. Once you have learned to love, you will have learned to live. Love is the most important ingredient to your success. Happy Valentine's Day! -------------------------------------------- ©2006 by Max Steingart Reproduce freely but maintain © notice Happy Valentine's Day to all my Adland friends! Cheri

Hi Cheri, Your Grandfather sounds like a truly amazing man. How lucky you were to have him with you for so many years. His story is an inspiration. Thank you for sharing this with all of us. Happy Valentines Day!!! Your Good Friend Deborah

Dear Cheri, Thank you, those sentiments are beautiful. I thought at one point I would never love again. I went through a wild stage, with very low self-esteem, and had a string of alcoholic and abusive boyfriends. This hardened me, and I thought I was unable to care again. Something deep inside me must have been fighting to get out, though, and I started cleaning up my life little by little. Then, I met Barry. For once in my life, I actually took the time to get to know him as a friend before we were ever romantically involved. We were coffee drinking buddies for a year, getting together with friends and sometimes just the 2 of us just to talk about life, problems, romances that weren't going well, etc. We shared things with each other just as friends that we had never shared with anyone else before. This Saturday we celebrate our 3rd anniversary. I married my best friend and found that I can truly love someone. We have our problems, but even in the worst fights (and they are never abusive), we have love. I no longer worry whether or not we will be together next week or next year, as I have in all other relationships, because somehow, deep down, I know we belong together and that we will always be there for each other. Some say love is blind, but I don't agree. Lust is blind. True love sees all faults and loves anyway. Neither Barry nor I are perfect, but we are perfect for each other. And that is what true love is all about. Thank you for letting me give tribute to my Valentine, partner and best friend. And thank you for your wonderful forum. Sincerely,

Thank you Cheri for sharing such a beautiful story. Have a wonderful Valentine's Day! With love, Julie

Thanks Cheri & Shannon, This inspires me to give all of my love and devotion into everything I do, and everyone I know. Thanks! Thia