The Truth of Marriage: Wishing You a Lifetime of Happiness

Nervousness is natural.  In a day and age when divorce is a highly common word, when everyone can point to at least one marriage that did not last until “death do us part”, it is not surprise that brides-to-be would feel more than a little nervous about the transition from single life to marriage.  However, the knowledge that many couples do not make it should not cause you to panic, rather it should be a reminder that this is not easy, for anyone.  This is a goal that you will work together to achieve, and there will be many wonderful rewards along the way.

Love doesn’t fade in strong marriages.  It grows.  What you feel for your fiancé now will transform, and that evolution will produce a love that you cannot even begin to imagine right now.  It will not be based on lust or a dream of what may be, but rather that love will be built upon years of ups and downs, of tackling the hardships together and enjoying the happy times hand-in-hand.

This person will become the one that you run to when you need a shoulder to cry on, the one that you call when there is reason to celebrate.  Your spouse will not replace your best friend, your sibling, or your parents, but will begin to carry more weight than all of those other important people in your life.

It won’t always be easy.  You will get tripped up along the way, or your spouse will.  There will be hard times that test your strength, your resolve, your loyalty, but strong relationships will survive those obstacles and with each that they leave behind, the bond will become increasingly sturdy. With those challenges will come a better understanding of yourself and of your spouse.

Marriage brings many rewards, but the very best is knowing that you have a companion who will share in all of your experiences—good and bad.  So, if you find yourself suffering from cold feet, don’t look at the other young and happy couples that you know.  Instead, look at those who have grown old together.

Perhaps, it is your parents, your grandparents, or even a couple of strangers witnessed in public.  Take not of the small intimacies that pass between them.  The silent offering of help at the perfect moment.  The adjusting of a neck tie, the zipping of the back of a dress.   The offer of a hand when climbing from the car.  The offer to carry a heavy bag or to refill a cup of coffee.  Those small moments are the foundation of every marriage and they are the moments that you will learn to take advantage of in your own marriage, because they are given so freely between two people who have never given up on love.