Searching for the truth about love

Thinking of entering a writing contest, and the theme is love – What is the truth about love?

So, I’m making notes, mulling over many things. Asking questions: What is the truth about love? Perhaps it should be "truths", yes? Can you love a place you’ve never been? What is the difference between love and desire? Is there really love at first sight? How many ways can love be defined? Or is the truth of love beyond definition?

A couple of news articles caught my eye.
One is about Qassim Sabti, the owner of the Hewar gallery in Baghdad whose love of art and the intellectual discussion and friendship it brings makes him resolute in keeping his gallery open. Even in the midst of a violent, damaged city. Sabti is also an artist and is creating a series of works about Baghdad, the city he loves, but also mourns. He says his new works "reflect what the tanks did to our streets, but they are not about the ugliness of Baghdad. Rather, they reflect the city's melancholy. We used to be very proud of Baghdad."

The other is about Bill Inman, a rancher from Oregon who just completed a 7-month trek across the U.S. on horseback to "uncover what was good about America." His wife, Brenda, accompanied him via pickup, hauling the daily food and supplies. A filmmaker documented the trip, and they hope to make a documentary film about the experience. According to Inman: "It's probably the most stupid thing I've done financially, but I truly believe in it." He also said he felt "encouraged by the spirit and stories of the people" he met along the way. And Bill and Brenda, who have been married 27 years, renewed their marriage vows at the end of the journey.
http://www.uncoveringamerica.com/

Two stories of love, and the continuing search for what it means.

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The art of love... is largely the art of persistence.
~Albert Ellis

Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.
~Zora Neale Hurston