How do we define love? Acclaimed author, Kurt Vonnegut, once wrote that “a purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.” American writer, Susan Sontag, an influential voice herself in 20th century literature, expressed that “Nothing is mysterious, no human relation. Except love.” And then there was some hack named “Shakespeare”, who scribbled, “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.” These are all time great thoughts, and applicable to the subject of this post, but they still don’t explain love. In an apparent effort to not sound mushy, Cambridge dictionary limits love to, “liking something very much”, which is simple, but effective. Perhaps actress, Katharine Hepburn, summed it up best when she described love this way: “Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get, only with what you are expecting to give, which is everything.” Okay, now we are closer to both a definition, and the type of love that can be felt at wonderful places like VINE Sanctuary, an LGBTQ-led farmed animal refuge. Love can take many forms, but as the old song says, “it’s something that you get, only when you give, and it’s love.” One of my favorite quotes on love belongs to Thich Nhat Hanh, who said, “You must love in such a way that the person you love feels free.” As an animal rights activist, and a “student” of Thich Nhat Hanh, I have humbly tweaked his quote, to read instead, “We must love in such a way that everyone we love feels free.” I hope Brother Thay approves.