I frequently get frustrated with my friends who seem all to quick to mistake the butterflies-in-the-stomach, mushy, romantic, chocolate-dipped feelings they get (or often create) for love. Now don't misunderstand, there's nothing wrong with any of that. But in and of itself, it is not love. Those feelings come and go. They're great for the good times, but when they dissolve and nothing else is left, everyone is left feeling betrayed and confused.
True love can also experience the mushy nothings. But it will see you through the bad. It will anchor you during the hard times and comfort you when no one else is there. It is a beacon. A companion. A friend. When the ceiling falls, it is still there. Because it's a choice. A living thing kept warm by the continual choice on both people's parts that to experience life together is exponentially better than to go it alone.
Jared, you are the Paul to my Joanne.
On the day we buried our daughter
That is exactly how I define true love myself. It's the quiet comfort of each other after the infatuation wears off, and the support you come to need during difficult times.
ReplyDeleteThat is so true!
ReplyDeleteBeautifully said!
ReplyDeleteAgree. Wholeheartedly. People misunderstand what "love" is and think that when the flirtatious, giddy, giggly feelings are gone, the love is gone. WRONG. But I'm preaching to the choir.
ReplyDeleteI recognized your outfits in those pictures and knew when they were taken...and despite the awfulness of that day...you guys look like movie stars. I admire your strength and inner (as well as outward) beauty in the face of something inconceivably horrible.