So I am beginning "The love dare". This is something that I started about a year ago, got half way through and never finished. It's something that I am really inspired by and something that I think every married couple should do at some point in their relationship, the book says " Whether your marriage is hanging by a thread or healthy and strong, the love dare is a journey you need to take. I love reading about how people work, and the many things that we forget about when it comes to love. It reminds me that it's not this perfect painted picture, it's not a fairytale, it is a constant work in progress. Right now is a perfect time in my life for me to take this journey...
"The scriptures say that god designed and created marriage as a good thing. It is a beautiful, priceless gift. He uses marriage to help us eliminate loneliness, multiply our effectiveness, establish families, raise children, enjoy life, and bless us with relational intimacy. But beyond this, marriage also shows us our need to grow and deal with our own issues and self-centeredness through the help of a lifelong partner. If we are teachable, we will learn to do the one thing that is most important in marriage - to love. This powerful union provides the path for you to learn how to love another imperfect person unconditionally. It is wonderful. It is difficult. It is life changing."
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-A senior spouse was asked how they had managed to stay married for so long. The answer was that they didn't fall out of love at the same time; that there was always one of them who was ready, willing and able to work and make them succeed.
"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two."
-St. Augustine
"We were given: Two hands to hold. Two legs to walk. Two eyes to see. Two ears to listen. But why only one heart? Because the other was given to someone else. For us to find."
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."
-Helen Keller
"Love is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essense."
-Vincent van Gogh
"Love is the irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired."
-Mark Twain
"You have to keep creating a marriage. We talk about everything. We grow and change together, because nothing ever stays the same; you've got to continue evolving."
-Kelly Preston
"A deal is a deal. To me, that just says it all. Marriage is for keeps."
-Courtney Cox Arquette
"Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, it’s the middle that counts the most…you need to remember that when you find yourself at the beginning. Give hope a chance to float up."
-Hope floats
