Over the past seven years I have been in the wilderness regarding my relationships with the "daughters of Eve". I went through a very difficult divorce and after years of marriage and individual counseling I was beginning to feel like I and the relationship department were a lost cause....but....tonight for the first time in a long, long, time I feel like I can finally see the light again after spending years wandering in the Mines of Moria. I can't go into details because of privacy issues but lets just say a major breakthrough occured in the communication and understanding department over the past 48 hours. At this time I am not predicting wedding bells or anything but I have arrived at a point of deep satisfaction regarding a relationship I am currently involved in....and.....for the first time in a long time I feel loved, wanted, and understood which I consider the "real gifts of the gods". I think one of the biggest mistakes in our society today regarding relationships is that getting married has become the goal or the ideal for people who are not married and want to get married. But, IMHO, marriage should not be the goal but rather the by product of a relationship built on mutual love, understanding, intimacy, and willingless to be vulnerable. I may sound like I am splitting hairs here a bit but I really do think we often put the horse before the cart if we place the emphasis on getting married rather than learning to develop the interpersonal skills that are needed to keep a marriage together over the long haul. I have put in alot of sweat and tears over the past five years and my faith in the possibility of love has been restored after I had almost lost all faith in that which we all deeply yearn for. As I stated earlier, I am not making any predictions but it is deeply gratifying to know that if you open up your heart and soul to love than love will eventually find it's way back to you at some point which in turn will generate the kind of hope and joy which we all need and deserve. Love has many angles and abounds in mystery but when it touches you, you will be changed. Love is the ultimate gift so when someone gives us the gift of love our only response ought to be gratitude and acceptance. May God open our eyes and our hearts to love and when we recieve this precious gift may we be moved to give the gift to others.