"What's love got to do with it?"

A few weeks ago I rummaged through stacks of papers and unused items. You know the drill; an attempt at Spring cleaning.

I tried my best to follow the simple rule: If you haven't seen it or used it in two years, then toss it.

But there was one item I discovered after 34 years that will break the rule. It will find its way into my mother's "Hope Chest".

I inherited Mom's chest upon her death five years ago. Over the years Mom and I had combed through it periodically. It has in it yearbooks dating back to 1931, family birth certificates and passports, World War II food rationing stamps, President Kennedy memorabilia and love letters written from my father to my mother when they were mere teenagers.

What I found during my purge was a love letter of another kind.

I have a close friend from childhood who attended my wedding in 1975. Along with a wedding gift she sent quote to us handwritten on a fine piece of flowered rice paper.

It read:

"Love alone is capable of uniting living beings in such a way as to complete and fulfill them, for it alone takes them and joins them by what is deepest in themselves."

When I stumbled upon it, I must admit that it stopped me in my tracks.

Whether it be in a personal relationship, a friendship, a business relationship or a family relationship, the quote rings true. It's simply a good rule to live by.

As it turns out the quote was a far larger gift than any present could have been. It has endurance.

It will join the other specialty items in the chest today. Perhaps our children will find it years from now and reflect on what the quote actually symbolizes.

To share in the love and the unity of those around you certainly has the merit to bring happiness to one's life.

Happiness brings contentedness and wellness. That's the "domino effect" at its finest.