Check.

One thing that I've been learning is

Life is not a checklist.

The everyday events of our lives aren't a checklist.

The gospel isn't a checklist.

Love isn't a checklist.

Remember in Young Women's when they'd have you write that list of qualities that you wanted in your future husband?

We've all done it.

When I was 13, the first thing I wrote down on my list was

fun-loving.

What does that even mean?

That's definitely not important.

During senior year of high school, it was

-kind

-righteous Mormon

-priesthood

-RM

-smart

-hardworking

-loves HISTORY!

-likes kids

-musical

-athletic

-attractive

-modest

-doesn't text message in church

-integrity

-honesty

-like my dad

-patient

(Not sure why loving history was that important.)

(Or why I thought I'd be able to find every positive quality in one person.)

And during this summer I came up with this list in Relief Society:

spiritual

smart

loves to talk

funny

hardworking

obedient

kind

virtuous

But the problem is, you don't love people because they are a list of qualities.

It's not like a disease:

"Well, ahem, if your boyfriend has five or more of these symptoms, then we're definitely looking at a case of love here."

No.

Love isn't a checklist.

You love people because you love them.

Because you know they are spirit sons and daughters of Heavenly Father.

Because they have divine worth and potential.

See then when you love someone, it's easy to list the things you like about them.

And that's just the best thing there is to feel.

"God does not have a list of favorites to which we must hope our names will someday be added."

Elder David A. Bednar,

"The Tender Mercies of the Lord"