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" In this disconnected world, it&amp;#039;s important to focus on the good, juicy, heart-swelling stuff, too. We asked celebrities, bloggers, and authors to share what love means to them in 2013. These stories, pictures, and poems are proof that there&amp;#039;s always something to learn \u2014 and laugh about \u2014 when it comes to love.   The window was stuck. It had been raining for days, and the wood of my old house had swelled, including the wood rimming on the upstairs bedroom window. I was extremely out of it that morning as I watched John, my boyfriend of seven years, pumping air into the tires of his Ridley Cyclocross bike before pedaling off, Lycra-clad, for hours of riding on the canal nearby. I had put the window up to call out, &amp;quot;Have fun,&amp;quot; and there the window stayed, all day, expanding into its track. By the time I tried to close it that night, it was immovable. So I did what anyone would do: I pounded on the frame while pushing it down. My hand went straight through the glass, which drew a jagged gash on my palm. It was just a thin, red line at first. And then, as I watched, it bloomed like a rough, red flower.  I called to John, who was downstairs, with a tremulous voice: &amp;quot;Umm, John?&amp;quot; Having heard my cursing and pounding, he was beside me in two seconds. He took one look at my face, and then saw my hand. I&amp;#039;m sure I was pale already, because it hurt. I&amp;#039;m sure I looked nervous because it was a bad cut. He said simply, &amp;quot;You&amp;#039;re all right&amp;quot; \u2014 his voice so calm and lilting it was nearly a prayer. Then, he bandaged it up. In that moment, I felt as comforted as a child because it was an innocent, unquestioning trust that I put in him. John said I was all right, and his tone conveyed it, so it must be true. It was sweet relief. This is sometimes what it means to be in love. To have someone stand guard over the stupider actions and anxieties of your life so they can ease them. John is one of the calmest men I have ever known, which a true blessing for me. I am not calm \u2014 even when I&amp;#039;m asleep. So my response would have been to overreact wildly and make the situation infinitely worse.  To me, John&amp;#039;s small gesture of comfort says more than a clamorous declaration of love. I think about it and say, You handle me well. I also say, I chose you well. We are a good fit. And when something other than calmness is called for \u2014 when there is cause for celebration, loud joy, or appropriate drama \u2014 then, I will stand guard over you and bring you up to speed.  Along the way I&amp;#039;m assuming \u2014 and I&amp;#039;m hoping \u2014 that we will knit together a life of sweet gestures both small and large, depending on whose turn it is to react. I look forward to that. You have no idea how much. Start a love chain In this disconnected world, it&amp;#039;s important to focus on the good, juicy, heart-swelling stuff, too. We know it  sounds completely cheesy, but sometimes you need to enjoy the love that really is all around us. Share your story on Facebook and be sure to tag your loved ones to pass it  on. Wendy Plump is the author of Vow: A Memoir of Marriage (And Other Affairs), published in February 2013. After the discovery of her husband&amp;#039;s affair and second family, and several affairs of her own earlier in the marriage, Wendy wrote Vow as a way to wrap a thoughtful narrative around the issues of infidelity, love, and the challenges of long-term marriage. Wendy has been a reporter and magazine writer for 25 years. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and New Jersey Monthly. She reports regularly for The Times of Trenton, and lives in New Hope, Pennsylvania. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/love-sex/a14889/wendy-plump-real-love-moment/?src=rss>