wine and cheese

My sister and I got together after she was done work tonight. Our first plan was to head to Smitty's for cheap wings night, but when we got there, the place was full. I suspect it may have had something to do with hockey playoffs. We were both starving hungry and hardly able to process a single thought anymore, but we eventually agreed on Greek food on Corydon.

I got the chicken pita with fries. We decided to split a half litre of house white. When our plates arrived I looked at mine and said, "Mmm, these look like they'll be really good fries." Then I reached for the ketchup and knocked my glass of Piat D'or over, spilling cheap white wine right onto my platter.

"Oh Jillian," I said shaking my head and laughing. "And you wonder why you're single."

"You just have to find someone who finds your faults endearing," my sister smiled.

She told me tonight that she and her boyfriend celebrated six months of dating this past Monday. I had no idea they had been together for that long now. They've known each other for four years and have broken up and reunited on several occasions. I remember the first time he broke her heart. I heard her crying in her room and it absolutely killed me to know that someone could hurt her like that. Things seem much stronger this time.

I only met him for the first time this year at Easter dinner. It wasn't an easy weekend for me but seeing them together was really inspiring. I could see the love like a big golden aura around them and it made me happy.

I do love the stories about couples who have overcome major conflicts and breakups. I know it doesn't work for everyone, some people really aren't meant to be together and they reunite for all the wrong reasons. Some people just seem to need to spend some time apart growing up and figuring out what they really want. I can only imagine it takes a very powerful and undeniable love, and maybe a bit of luck or fate to bring these people back together, along with a good deal of compassion and forgiveness. I guess what appeals to me most about the breakup and reunion stories is the forgiveness component. I know it's not easy to put aside one's pain and pride, but love seems like the best reason to do it. Well, that and world peace. But really, couldn't we get a little closer to world peace if everyone could just find someone to love? Geeze, I'm such a hippie. Must be the cheap white wine talking.

My sister and I got along fairly well growing up, but we certainly had our differences. I feel that as the older sister I was forced to play the understanding and forgiving card more often than she did, but if that made me a more forgiving person in the end I can't complain. I feel like we grew up as sisters, but now we're more like friends. I choose to love her now.

Love is a choice. I've read that a few times since starting my studies in love. Love is not a warm and fuzzy feeling--that's probably just lust or affection. Love is something you choose to do. It's constantly choosing to be forgiving, understanding, patient, caring, compassionate. What drives someone to make that choice day after day? I have no idea. Maybe I will figure that one out in my next chapter.

"the true definition of love is: giving someone what they need the most when they deserve it the least."
www.loveisachoice.org