And she loved the little boy very much

I have more to say about love than I can possible write in the time I have... but I'll tell you a couple of things.  The following is a quote that was put up on my wall when we returned from the hospital Wednesday night.  There were many, many things on our wall from sweet member of our ward. I didn't read all of them at once, but I did see this one the next day.

As I read this over and over I just cried, because I truly had loved the little boy so very much...even more than I loved myself.  I have had experiences with love in my life.  I fell in love with Jason about 14 years ago. My love for him has grown and matured over the years.  I love each of my children so very much.  This love has also grown and deepened over each of their lives. But I have never felt such pure, immediate, and consuming love as I did for Eli.  It was a very sacred and new experience to me.  It felt full and complete and didn't take time to mature.  It was a gift from God.  I realized that the love I was able to feel for him was its own reward. It had nothing to do with the love I felt from him or anyone else.  It was having the opportunity to love someone that way. I understood a little bit more about God's love when I met Eli. I have never loved anyone like that before.