Want to Know the Definition of TRUE Love?

I Was Thinking…
True Love?  My parents have been married 50 years this past week. What an accomplishment, especially in this day and age! I am very proud of them! I have been looking back on their marriage kind of contemplating what their secret must be. Trust me, they have had their challenges…huge losses and near death experiences, not to mention the everyday financial concerns of the middle class. Yet they got through them together!

On one hand they do life very differently from each other, but on the other they still do it together. They come from different family scenarios and both suffered big losses, even at early ages. Different kinds of losses, albeit loss just the same. I’ll be honest, theirs is not a marriage without disagreements, bickering, and hurtful choices; they are just ordinary people… who have, together, done an extraordinary thing!

I have been witness to this marriage for about forty-nine years and two months and as I look back I see some reoccurring themes that I think are the key! I DO think it’s true LOVE!  

Want to know the definition of TRUE LOVE based on 50 years of marriage?             

Always take into account and honor each other’s story. Know that people can only do what they can do and that is not because they don’t love you; it is because they don’t know what they don’t know.

Forgiveness is essential. It transforms your own heart and helps you move forward.  

Nourish your relationship.  Don’t wait for the “right” moment or “enough” money. Intentionally make time for your marriage. Spend time together. Hold hands. Hug. Be playful. Sit close to one another.

Faith is a strong foundation. Hold onto it. In your darkest times, turn to it, not away from it. 

No Matter What Commitment. A commitment to one another that comes first - before each of you as individuals. To stick together when the going gets tough.      

My hope is that someday I will get to experience 50 years of marriage. It makes our 20 years pale a bit in comparison. But even in our 20 years, I’ve used my parent’s example without even knowing it. We have different challenges than they did, but it has worked this long and I don’t see it changing!  

TRUE LOVE wins again!