The previously unloved may find it hard to believe that they are now loved; that is such a miracle, they feel; such a miracle.

That of all people, it should be him; that took her aback. That the heart should settle on somebody like him; that surprised her. But she was so certain about it, so certain.

She remembered love, though, and a feeling of warmth. It was like remembering light, or the glow that sometimes persists after a light has gone out.

We all had to say goodbye, sooner or later, to those we love--or they had to say goodbye to us. Those were the only two possibilities that this world allowed. But no matter how much we tried to face up to it, it never became easier.

There is plenty of work for love to do. That was a wonderful way of putting it, and she had told him that this could be the best possible motto for anybody to have.

...But although the rules are vagueAnd widely disregarded nowSome precepts remain: live with love - That is a rule we all can understand;Forgive those who need forgiveness,Which I think is everybody, more or less;Be kind - that, perhaps, is first and foremostIn any postmodern, new-fangledCode we devise for ourselves;Yes, be kind: love one another,And most of all tend with gentlenessThe small patch of terra firma That is allocated to each of us...

She had always understood that love could have an intense physical effect; could fill a space somewhere in the chest, could turn knees weak, could raise the pulse; could intoxicate, just as could a strong martini or a glass of champagne. Could, she thought, and would…but only if you allowed it, only if you opened whatever portals of the heart needed to be opened. And some people, of course, found it difficult to do that.