"Loving-kindness is the first
of a series of meditations
that produce four qualities of love:
Friendliness (metta),
Compassion (karuna),
Appreciative Joy (mudita)
and Equanimity (upekkha).
The quality of 'friendliness'
is expressed as warmth
that reaches out
and embraces others.
When loving-kindness practice matures
it naturally overflows into compassion,
as one empathises with other people's difficulties;
on the other hand one needs to be wary of pity,
as its near enemy,
as it merely mimics the quality of concern without empathy.
The positive expression of empathy
is an appreciation of other people's good qualities
or good fortune, or appreciative joy,
rather than feelings of jealousy towards them.
This series of meditations comes to maturity
as 'on-looking equanimity'.
This 'engaged equanimity'
must be cultivated within the context
of this series of meditations,
or there is a risk of it manifesting as its near enemy,
indifference or aloofness.
So, ultimately you remain kindly disposed
and caring toward everybody
with an equal spread of loving feelings and acceptance
in all situations and relationships."
http://www.buddhanet.net/metta_in.htm
From: An Overview of Loving-kindness Meditation by Ven Pannyavaro

With metta / Antony :)