"Show them what you love." That's what historian and author David McCullough said describing what teachers do. I'm a teacher. I'm here to show you what I love. I'm here to tell some Love stories... with a capital L!

There is nothing, NOTHING more important in life than Love. Love stories are possible because "Divine Love is infinite. Therefore all that really exists is in and of God, and manifests His love" (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health, p. 340). Love stories are about relationships. They are about everything that is important, rich, meaningful, lasting, and joyous in life.

Think about the most precious Love stories in your life. The ones that have brought you to this day and all it represents. Your family. They have cheered you on, cheered you up, prayed through the night to support the very best in you. Some of you have required a lot of all-nighters — something you might not fully appreciate until you pull a few of your own as parents. They have loved you, rejoiced in you, believed in you. Thank them for their love. Consider them part of the great Love stories in your life.

Your Prin family of house moms and pops, coaches, teachers, and staff. This is one of the greatest families on earth. They have seen the good in you and loved you enough to expect the best from you. And when you weren't at your best, they still loved you. Thank them for their love. Thank them for showing you what they love. Consider them part of the Love stories in your life.

Your friends. They have been there for you. They listen. They care. They make you laugh. You can trust them. They think you're wonderful! Thank them for their love. Consider them part of the Love stories in your life.

The two most vital Love stories of my life are sitting in the front row: Chris and Jeramy. Because of Chris, Christian Science came into my life — the biggest Love story and greatest gift of all. With the two of them I have shared the most important moments of my life, the most profound and sometimes hard-earned life-lessons, the best laughs, some struggles, and tears. My life with them has taught me about the Author of all Love stories and provided the four big ideas I'd like to share with you today.

No matter the details of your story, no matter if you feel someone else's story is bigger, better, easier, more important or exciting than yours, you are bigger than your story.

Weeks after we got married, Chris and I hopped in a little black Volkswagon and drove to Washington, D.C., to fill out applications to the Peace Corps. Everything about the Peace Corps seemed wonderful to us: the opportunity to make a difference, to live and work in another country, to have a great adventure. Those two years provided some of the best Love stories of our lives.

When it was time to come home, I think we expected everything to fall into place easily: jobs, a place to live, a family. Instead the story looked more like this: a recession, no jobs, no income, no place to live, and some unexpected heartache. Not exactly the story we were expecting.

We knew something about the Author of the Love stories. While our story said, "no jobs," the Author of the Love stories assured us meaningful work was at hand, and it was — politics and teaching. While our story said, "no income," the Author of the Love stories reminded us, day by day, of the angel thoughts that meet every need, and they did. While our story said, "no place to live," the Author of the Love stories whispered, "the dearest spot on earth is within, you have a home" — and we did — 10 of them in a nine-month period!

And when our story said, "you have suffered a loss and a defeat," the Author of the Love stories assured us, "neither Love nor Love's idea can be lost or defeated," and it wasn't. The Author's love for each and every one of you is unlimited, ever-present, and constant. Get beyond your story to the Love stories in your life.

Last summer we attended a sunrise service honoring the story of the Amistad. Do you know this amazing story? Briefly: West Africans were captured by slave-trade merchants. They were stripped of family, freedom, friends, their future — everything familiar. After the long trip, those who survived were brought to Cuba.

Once there, 53 slaves were put on board the Amistad for the 300-mile sail to two plantations in another part of Cuba. On the third night at sea, two of the captives freed their comrades and took control of the vessel. Two of the Spanish crew members were instructed to sail back to Africa. During the day, they did, but at night, unbeknownst to the captives, they headed back to Cuba.

Their story was complicated and discouraging. It included dashed expectations and unspeakable disappointment, time in jail, the uncertainties of a highly political court case, a white-supremacist judge, and more. At every seemingly irreversible defeat, with every relentlessly hopeless setback, another story was unfolding. Remarkable well-springs of courage, strength, and hope; a passionate band of abolitionists, and even a former president of the United States to plead the case before the Supreme Court became part of the unfolding Love story that eventually returned the captives to their homeland.

What could explain such depths of spirit capable of triumphing over so many difficulties? Reading from the writing of African American theologian Howard Thurman, the answer was found in the spirit of this amazing declaration: I am not diminished by this interlude. Etch this one in your heart: I am not diminished by this interlude. It's a powerful declaration of your forever intact relationship with the Author of the Love stories, no matter what seems to be going on!

You've probably figured out human stories have their share of interludes. You — and your family — may have had a few of your own. You probably didn't call them interludes. Instead they seemed like heartbreaks, heartaches, disappointments, missed opportunities, lack. Some may have been modest, some of them overwhelming, even agonizing. But "there's never a story that ever could change the glory of you in His eyes" (Mindy Jostyn). Right where those interludes seem to be, there is a Love story waiting to be told.

If you know the Author, you will never be diminished by interludes. You will only discover the Love stories that sustain and bless and let you know how precious and cherished you are.

Oh, to have a heart of Love like this. To find unkindness, lack, heartache, loneliness, mean-spiritedness, injustice incomprehensible, because the fundamental nature of Love makes such seem utterly impossible. And may we look for Love stories in the most unexpected places, be open to receiving them from the most unexpected folks, and be ready to be part of them in the most unexpected ways.

Like others in the audience, I look at you, and every fiber of my being wants you to understand what's most essential in life: there's nothing bigger, better, or more important than Love — with a capital L. It's that simple.

All of us hope so much for you: lives of meaning and quality, good choices, wise priorities, that you will love and be loved deeply, unselfishly, and joyously. And most of all, that you will make knowing and loving the Author of the Love stories your number one priority in life. Everything good flows — and overflows — from this simple and profound commitment.

One afternoon I was driving home, thinking about you and listening for the right messages to share. This indescribable feeling of awesome gratitude for God's love and for Christian Science welled up inside me. I found myself asking you — a thousand miles away, in a car by myself, with graduation two months away — Do you realize what you have in the palms of your hands? Do you realize the power, the potential, the preciousness of these teachings? Of what it is to go through life knowing God loves you? "Show them what you love." I can't say it any more simply or directly than this: If you want a life full of Love stories, you need to know and love the Author with all your heart and soul. If you do, you will lead a life of inspiration, progress, and meaning. A life that blesses and inspires. A life that sings and soars. A life full of Love stories.

That's it. That's what I've come to share with you. There's nothing more important in life than Love. Nothing. Love stories are possible in your life — each and every day, because "Divine Love is infinite. Therefore all that really exists is in and of God and manifests His love."

May you go through life, for no reason in particular except for the sheer joy of it, shouting to no one in particular — and everyone in particular — and to the world in general, and especially to the most precious Love stories in your life and their Author, I LOVE YOU!

May your life overflow with Love stories. Go on your way from this most precious of places knowing the Author is writing them for you — every day — because He loves you so much . . . and so do we!