Tonight, I was sitting at a round table with three couples. Not just three couples, but six people whom I greatly admire and respect. Each couple has been married over twenty years….one near thirty. As I watched them, I noticed a few things. I watched the husbands watching their wives as they described stories from the past month. Their eyes lit up with pride for their spouse. The love was palpable. I watched the women roll their eyes with laughter as the men started down a dirty joke path, yet the love was palpable even through the eye rolls. Tears welled up in my eyes, as I smiled at them. They had no idea what was going through my mind. It was like an out of body experience in some ways. I was observing true love in its most real form. The daily, most normal interactions that emanate extraordinary love within the ordinary. Man, what they displayed tonight is the epitome of what I desire. They are in it together……the trenches, and the peaks…..all of it together. And they do it with amazing love for one another that is so incredibly obvious to anyone around them. Listen, there was plenty of discussion of really hard things in life. No one has a cake walk of a life. If they say they do, they are lying. There are real, frightening things that are occurring in peoples’ lives. Yet, they put one foot in front of the other, grab on tight to their spouse and trust in the Plan. Oh to be so very lucky……I hope that’s me. It wasn’t me for the 24 years I was married. Sure, I thought it was early on. But in year 11, after the first affair, It was clear that holding on tight to the spouse didn’t create trust. Here we are now, looking for that everlasting love that allows us to let go of the fear of what occurred potentially happening again. It’s not an easy ask……nope…..it’s like asking me to cut off a leg and trusting without a doubt that I will walk again better than before. That’s what I do though…..I trust, and I allow myself to love again. I have to believe that God wouldn’t allow such pain to enter my life again. I’ve had enough for a lifetime, so this is my time to be able to experience the best years. Right? Could I be hurt again? Absolutely. I have been……several times. Could I experience tremendous pain again. Yep……could happen. I trust me. I know me. I know that when I’m all in, I’m ALL in. Some say I fall in love very easily. Yes, that’s true. My heart is open….it always has been. I refuse to give up on my heart. Sometimes the choice is made for me…..hence my divorce. Don’t get me wrong. I’m meant to be divorced. I am glad that things happened the way they did because I never would have given up. Sometimes the choice has to be made for us because we can’t see it for ourselves. But on the flip side, I am faithful………in every sense of the word. I don’t ever, ever give up. If you make the choice for me, you are the one giving up. Does that mean I’ll tolerate anything? Nope. I have boundaries and limits. That’s not giving up. That’s honoring who I am and valuing myself. Sticking by each other and supporting one another through the happy, sad, laughter, anger and fear is what it’s all about. Working through the conflict and being together through the uncomfortable proves who is there for the long haul. Love and commitment are the backbone of a relationship. So here I am tonight, watching these couples and just knowing that what I see in them is exactly what I hope to gain for myself. I want the day-to-day to be amazing just by that small glance that emanates love. Those three little words have tremendous power. They mean more than people realize. Some use it frivolously and carelessly. I don’t. The meaning behind loving someone is far too valuable to flippantly speak the words just because. Tonight was good for the soul. There was a lot of laughter, some tears (at least by me), and a whole lot of love. I was reminded tonight what life is all about. It’s love. It’s having someone by your side who has your back and who loves you no matter what. Thank you my friends. So, dark circles and all, and back to a twenty page paper, I thank you for encouraging me to take a break and reminding me about what’s good for the soul.