A love like that
I promised my husband that I would not blog about the movie we viewed last night, but I decided that I must since it was the most prominent thing on my mind as the sun rose this morning, and it still lingers in my memory now. We broke down and watched "The Notebook," a clever storyline with acting leaving much to be desired....but the overall theme was acceptable and believable. Upon much prompting by our friends (and my parents), we decided to give it a go. We were glad that we did.
I will not spoil the movie for any of you who have not seen it....so there is little I can say about how it ends. Yet it spurred us into late-night conversation once we crawled into bed....and even later conversation as, for the second time this month, the power went out for three hours unexplainably. (I think there must be a transformer problem in our neighborhood nearby.)
We saw the way that the couple in the film loved each other deeply, wholly, blindly, and unreservedly. The way we love each other. Really. Everyday life has entered in with its daily chores and job duties, and now added is the care of our firstborn. Yet we still hold each other in extremely high regard.
We still cherish one another. We still take off our wedding bands periodically to re-read the inscription inside that we each chose five years ago to be penned in gold. We still read poetry together. We still bring breakfast to each other....and coffee, and Tylenol, and towels, and toilet paper. :0) We still can't let our day begin with a goodbye kiss and hug from the other. We still pray together. We still hold hands. We still exercise together. And we still look over at each other, teary-eyed, at the end of sappy movies that we watch together in our cozy den, and drop our blankets and popcorn bowls in order to hold one another.
And I want to scream this from the rooftops, to tell all those bitter people who, five-plus years ago, said such horrible things to us as, "Oh, just wait till you're married a year. That will change." "Just wait till you have kids. Romance will leave." I want to show them that we are learning about each other still, and that there are still things that surprise and amaze us about one another. Yes. Even after "all these years."
To the marrieds out there, I challenge you to find romance DAILY in your relationship wtih your significant other. If it's not there, FIND it, CREATE it. Be spontaneous. Be artistic. Be child-like again in how you express your love for him or her.
To the singles or soon-to-be-marrieds, I encourage you to turn aside your ears when you hear heavy and negative comments such as those we encountered. Realize that true love, if God-given, still exists today. Look for its proof in the lives of others. My grandparents and my parents are two of my best examples for how love can still be so alive...and VIBRANT...even after 20, 30, 40, 50 years. See that life does NOT end once the vows are spoken; it is just beginning. Big milestones, such as having a child together, should further grow and strengthen that love if it is indeed focused on the right things....God first, spouse second.
It pains me to see how marriage is so cheapened today in our society. We need to rewind to the simpler times in our mindsets.....get past all of the formalities and the "easy ways out." Prenuptial agreements, divorce proceedings, alimony....these things are all too common, and so sad to witness. They are there. But they don't have to be as prominent as they are. We have simply lost what it means to truly marry for love....what it means to self-sacrifice and what it means to cherish, holding our spouse above all others.
This movie inspired me to be a more passionate individual in my whole life, and that includes my marriage. It inspired me to tell others TODAY how much I love them; who knows if I will have tomorrow. It inspired me to love more openly, more boldly, more wildly. You can never love too much, no matter what the song says.
I will not spoil the movie for any of you who have not seen it....so there is little I can say about how it ends. Yet it spurred us into late-night conversation once we crawled into bed....and even later conversation as, for the second time this month, the power went out for three hours unexplainably. (I think there must be a transformer problem in our neighborhood nearby.)
We saw the way that the couple in the film loved each other deeply, wholly, blindly, and unreservedly. The way we love each other. Really. Everyday life has entered in with its daily chores and job duties, and now added is the care of our firstborn. Yet we still hold each other in extremely high regard.
We still cherish one another. We still take off our wedding bands periodically to re-read the inscription inside that we each chose five years ago to be penned in gold. We still read poetry together. We still bring breakfast to each other....and coffee, and Tylenol, and towels, and toilet paper. :0) We still can't let our day begin with a goodbye kiss and hug from the other. We still pray together. We still hold hands. We still exercise together. And we still look over at each other, teary-eyed, at the end of sappy movies that we watch together in our cozy den, and drop our blankets and popcorn bowls in order to hold one another.
And I want to scream this from the rooftops, to tell all those bitter people who, five-plus years ago, said such horrible things to us as, "Oh, just wait till you're married a year. That will change." "Just wait till you have kids. Romance will leave." I want to show them that we are learning about each other still, and that there are still things that surprise and amaze us about one another. Yes. Even after "all these years."
To the marrieds out there, I challenge you to find romance DAILY in your relationship wtih your significant other. If it's not there, FIND it, CREATE it. Be spontaneous. Be artistic. Be child-like again in how you express your love for him or her.
To the singles or soon-to-be-marrieds, I encourage you to turn aside your ears when you hear heavy and negative comments such as those we encountered. Realize that true love, if God-given, still exists today. Look for its proof in the lives of others. My grandparents and my parents are two of my best examples for how love can still be so alive...and VIBRANT...even after 20, 30, 40, 50 years. See that life does NOT end once the vows are spoken; it is just beginning. Big milestones, such as having a child together, should further grow and strengthen that love if it is indeed focused on the right things....God first, spouse second.
It pains me to see how marriage is so cheapened today in our society. We need to rewind to the simpler times in our mindsets.....get past all of the formalities and the "easy ways out." Prenuptial agreements, divorce proceedings, alimony....these things are all too common, and so sad to witness. They are there. But they don't have to be as prominent as they are. We have simply lost what it means to truly marry for love....what it means to self-sacrifice and what it means to cherish, holding our spouse above all others.
This movie inspired me to be a more passionate individual in my whole life, and that includes my marriage. It inspired me to tell others TODAY how much I love them; who knows if I will have tomorrow. It inspired me to love more openly, more boldly, more wildly. You can never love too much, no matter what the song says.
Comments