Love

What's the nature of love? I don't think I have the vocabulary to properly express it - I don't even know if such a vocabulary even exists in modern English. I watch my wife interact with our kids and vice versa, my wife interacting with me, I recently watched several friends interacting with their spouses, and I have my own interactions with friends and family. What's the difference? Is it just one of degree? Is there a biological imperative for us to congregate and connect? So what if it is? Do we need to have those connections. I certainly enjoy having those connections even though most of them are long-distance at the moment. At what point in a relationship can you declare love for someone. There is a problem that the word itself may be too strong and too loaded with implications to be able to used without misunderstanding. This is unfortunate because even if it is a matter of degree, how do you qualify it without doing the feeling justice? I feel like I have this standard level of love for the people I know and have met. People don't have to earn my love, they already have it - they have to earn my lack of love and my indifference. The problem then become if my love increases how do I communicate it? Should I even bother to try? It could make the relationship awkward. Ah well. I think right now the people who I need to know that I love do know that I love them and that's all that matters.