A Reflection on Love

Love... perhaps the most effective word in any language. This tiny one syllable word has been the cause of combat, treachery, and insanity, but it is also the reason for harmony, unexpected adventures, and unprecedented inventiveness. How does it come to be that a thing that should be so good can drive us to so much evil? The French, acknowledged for love, have many interesting love stories to share. Take the story of the sculptor Rodin and his mistress Camille Claudel. Claudel sculpted for Rodin when they fell in love. His unwillingness to leave his wife for her drove Claudel insane and she demolished quite a lot of her artworks during episodes of paranoia which was a symptom of her schizophrenia. Claudel spent the last 30 years of her life in a home for the insane. How can a power that can drive someone to such bouts of depression be the one thing that we all seek in this world? Then again, let us look at another french couple. Voltaire and Emilie du Chatelet had a 15 year long love affair which was looked down upon by the general public, yet tolerated by Chatelet's husband, the Marquis Florent-Claude du Chatelet. Chatelet and Voltaire shared a healthy intellectual link and spent time philosophizing together, collecting books for the library, and offering feedback on each other's research in mathematics and science. Their shared values and commitment to each other fueled their love even after her untimely death. After her death, Voltaire wrote of Chatelet, "It is not a mistress I have lost but half of myself, a soul for which my soul seems to have been made." Despite her arranged marriage to the Marquis, the relationship between Chatelet and Voltaire was tolerated and not envied. They were the subject of contempt but were allowed to live their lives together in shared respect. Their story illustrates love in its greatest form. In my experience, love is the sole thing worth living for. Whether it's love of family, love of something, or love for a companion, without love life is trivial. Perhaps that is why love can bring us to such extreme limits. For some people, love is worth dying for. For others, it is worth living for. As Valentine's Day gets closer love is on everyone's minds. I wish each and every one of you a beautiful love story filled with all the best love may bring and none of the worst. This Valentine's Day, demonstrate your love with a Valentine Wine Gift Basket from Baskets By Rita. Send a Valentine's day wine gift basket with a bottle of white wine, two wine glasses and a compliment of assorted munchies. Chardonnay Havarti Cheese spread, Beef Summer Sausage, Gourmet Crackers, Smoked Gouda Cheese, Trail Mix, Caramel corn, Cookies, Chocolove dark chocolate bar with a love poem on the label, snack mix, and milk chocolate truffles. We all need a small reminder sometimes of simply how much we are loved. If you like this blog, be sure to forward it on via Twitter or Facebook. Thanks a bunch!  http://www.basketsbyrita.com/Valentine-Wine-Gift-Basket_p_259.html