A couple of anniversary's and a big question!

What is the secret to sustaining a long and happy romantic relationship?
I am fortunate enough to have many,many people in my life that are in lasting committed relationships that have stood up to the tests of time and even though I know these relationships have had their troubles, they have always remained strong and unbreakable.

Today is the thirteenth anniversary of one of my lifelong friends. Thirteen years of experience that I only wish I had. My parents have been married 44 years (I think) this December. That’s just two amazing examples of longevity that inspire me to work harder at all of my relationships.
I think part of the strength of these two particular relationships is that the people involved seem to be best friends as well as committed partners. They include each other in most facets of life and respect each other enough to trust that they always have each other’s interest at heart.

As I move forward on my journey I want to be able to feel equal with everyone in my life, as these four people feel to their partners and I want everyone to know what I believe; Love is not a variable, but an absolute.

I don’t believe that we fall out of love; I believe that love just becomes stagnant and boring, and that is why we drift. There are tons of couples that find ways to generate more and more excitement over time and that helps keep the relationship going. I also believe that anger can become a much stronger emotion than love and it can destroy relationships, so can depression and anguish. Learning, over time how your partner reacts to the stimuli of different emotions is another key to a lasting relationship. But some people seem to have it figured out right outta the dugout...

I have two friends (Ashley and Spencer) that are celebrating there one year anniversary and I want them to know that the beauty in their relationship comes from the love they have toward each other and that year two goes by even faster than year one because the routines are in place, the awkward first “living together” experiences are over, the “leather” of your marriage “glove” has loosened a bit and fits much, much better. I have been amazed ever since meeting the two of them at how they seem to have alot of the confusing relationship stuff figured out already!

I think a big part of the secret to the success of all of these relationships is simply True Love. I know that I see that love in the actions and words of these great people and that they will find a way to make it through even the hardest of life’s moments and they will persevere till the end of life together as strong individuals made complete through the love of their partners!

Happy Sunday to everyone, Love and Congrats to Ashley and Spencer and Aaron and Dean, and continued love and long life to my incredible parents Bob and Linda!

I hope their successes rub off on me!