There is nothing quite like the beginning of a relationship. It’s all so new, exciting and fresh. You haven’t tainted it with shortcomings, failures, and things said that you can never take back again.
Yes; one thing is for sure: married life isn’t all hearts and flowers.
But real life isn’t supposed to hold up to those perfect ideals we’ve built up in our heads. Real love is what happens after; real love is what can stand the test of time.
Because, really, in any relationship, time becomes the key element. Any relationship can be good in the beginning, and anyone can make it work in the good times.
You know you have something real when you can pull through the tough times together.
It really should be on the warning label: people are always on their best behavior during the courtship phase; things only go downhill from there.
Meaning that, things only get harder when you share finances, houses, obligations, kids, etc. So, expect it.
And, while definitely something is to be said for the butterflies, hearts racing, and exciting moments of a new relationship, those moments are not how you can tell if something is real, or if something will last.
It’s true, it takes a spark to light a fire.
But what keeps that fire burning over time?
You’ll find in the long run, it’s the messy moments, the mishaps, the imperfect timing and the epic fails that really keep your love going through the years.
Because if you can get through those together, you can get through anything.
I’ve found there is no perfect relationship. There is no perfect love.
And the more you know someone, the easier it is to hurt them.
But that’s the balance you must strike with love. With loves comes butterflies, magic moments, and romantic getaways; but with it, also, comes compromise, sacrifice, heartache, and sometimes heartbreak.
Real love takes work, each and every day.
But you know it’s worth it in the long run.
When he kisses you even before you brush your teeth, when he’s holding your hand after you lose your father, when you scream at him as you’re having a baby and he just smiles, when he finally checks off the items on your honey-do-list, or just when he kisses you and says he’ll see you next time after the kids come in and want you to sleep in their bed. That’s when you know.
Roses die and are thrown away, and candy (at least at our house) all gets eaten. What means the most to me now are the efforts he takes every day to make sure our love lasts, to make sure our love will stand the test of time. These are my hearts and flowers.
