I ran into a beautiful young lady today, who after a brief conversation, began to lament about the fact that way too men appear to be put off by her success, and ultimately her independence. I could tell that this was really getting to her, so I gave her my card, and asked her to visit my site.

It’s been a while since I’ve shared this piece, but I have this sneaking suspicion that at this very moment, someone needs to read these words. I pray that you see the heart behind them, and that they mean as much to you, as they did to me when I wrote them.)

A close friend was recently hit with a disturbing amount of bad news. Now, it wasn’t the death of a loved one or a terminal medical diagnosis, but it sure felt that way—at least it did to me. As she cried to me over the phone, the knots in my stomach tightened to the point where it began to cut off my circulation, making it hard to breathe as she poured her heart out.

I’m not going to belabor the points in this article for two reasons: For starters, the average intelligent woman knows that it isn’t wise to have a bad temper. So I wouldn’t dare insult their intelligence by spending more time than what’s needed on something that should be a given. Secondly, I just checked my mailbox, and my DVD boxed set of “Mr. Belvedere” just arrived, so I’d rather spend my afternoon watching that.

My mother did a great job raising me. It’s for that reason, along with a host of others that make her such a special woman in my eyes. Her unadulterated awesomeness is what prompts me to write about her from time to time, and it also makes me want to spend my days working hard to make her and my dad proud.

Sometimes I have to take a step back from it all to remind myself that I wouldn’t stand a chance in relationships if it wasn’t for the intercession of a loving, compassionate God who’s always there for me—through both the highs and subsequent lows brought on by matters of the heart.

I haven’t been myself lately. But you don’t need to hear it from me, as I’m sure you could already tell. For the past few months, there haven’t been many instances where I’ve shared my writing to the masses. Lately, it’s been a tweet here, or a Facebook post there … but none of that would make you sit back and say, “dang, he did that.”

I have a confession that I’ve been holding on to for the past few weeks, and I think it’s finally time for me to put it out in the open… Ok, here goes … I’m a hater. I know; the realization shocked me too. But the facts suggesting as much far outweigh my passionate denials to the contrary.

In case you’re keeping score at home, 2010 should be categorized as a major disappointment. The economy never truly stabilized, the Bravo Network failed to create a “Real Housewives of Compton” show, and The Fly Guy Chronicles was largely absent from the national discourse on love and relationships. Sounds like one big fail to me.

I can’t help but admire those who possess a unique ability to fluidly express themselves when it comes to love and relationships. In this week’s installment of Love Quotables, we salute those verbal heroes-the true masters of the nuances of love. Together, let’s enjoy their insight.