I just read this quote attributed to Fred Rogers, in honor of his birthday this weekend.

“Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle.

To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.”

Isn’t that the essence of all love stories? The tales of how our fellow humans (and vampires, aliens, werewolves, shapeshifters, etc) strive to accept the beloved as he or she is, and how wonderful it feels to receive such acceptance.