Have you ever noticed elderly couples who appear to have been together forever and you find yourself hopelessly in love with the love they seem to share for one another. I find myself mesmerized with our older generation. How they hold hands when they are going about their day, read the newspaper together or simply walk together. They are kind to one another, respectful and blissfully unaware of their impact on the younger generation such as myself. I am fortunate to have come from a family where long and happy marriages have prevailed. My grandparents were married over 60 years and my parents over 35 and counting. This statistic is on a downward spiral and it seems yearly that friends are breaking up or couples are divorcing after 50 and it devastates me. What happened to all the love and romance that must have been in those homes at some point? I cant help but gravitate to the older generation who appear to be full of love for one another after so many years. How do they do it?
Every married couple seems to have their own recipe for a successful marriage and I really don't think there is a norm when it comes to this topic. Lets face it, married couples will often say that passion and romance seem to fizzle over the years and yet I think the definition of passion and romance just change a bit.
Picture this...
One time while I was still sleeping, George sneaked in to our room and put a flower beside the night stand and then returned to work. I was dead to the world as I had just returned from London and was enjoying a jet lag sleep (you know the one where you could sleep for 16 hrs straight) when I woke up to a single calla lily next to me; my heart melted. Over the years George has done many special things for me like surprise overnight trips to Banff, jewelery with no special occasion, flowers at work, the list goes on. All these thoughtful gestures have made me feel so loved and cherished over the years. The overnights whims to Banff have slowed down recently due to our changing family and priorities yet I find myself more in love with George than ever before. Our romance has changed and looks a little more like this...I surprise George by making his favorite dinner when I know he has had a hectic day at work. Or we take turns on weekends waking up with Phin so one of us can sleep in. Lately, the best surprise is waking up to the dishwasher unloaded from dinner the previous night. It's the small things you do for one another that romance the home and keep a marriage going for years and years. It's a mutual respect for one another along with a mutual understanding of priorities that gets you through. George and I are a team. As parents you have to rely on one another, vent to one another and support one another. "We were born in a time when if something was broken we would fix it" has to be one of the most romantic quotes there ever was. The determination to stand by one another and get through anything is what makes a marriage beautiful and well rounded. I suspect it's this philosophy that has made for marriages lasting 60 years or more. We all have our quirks and no marriage is perfect so appreciate the little things and find romance in the small things your partner does for you each day!
Note: Flowers, surprise mini holidays and chocolates are never a bad idea either
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