Love is Alive and Well

The other day on the subway, I witnessed love first-hand.

A young man and woman stood facing one another on the crowded streetcar.  They were completely engrossed in their conversation with one another.

As the young woman spoke, the young man’s eyes were focused intensely on her every word and expression.  He responded, and she laughed – throwing her head back – her wavy hair swinging from side to side along her back.

As the woman spoke again, the young man reached over and tenderly stroked her furry scarf.  She stepped in closer to him.  It was as if nothing else in the world mattered.

I was lucky.  Although I was standing too far to hear their conversation, I could see their interaction in the reflection of the subway window.  As I watched them embody love in action, it brought me so much joy.  A little smile crept onto the edges of my mouth.

The process of watching this young couple falling more deeply in love was visible to the naked eye.  At that moment, I was reminded of those first moments of falling in love, of romantic courtship, of that feeling that everything revolved around that one special person, and of nothing else mattering in the world.

As I reflect on witnessing that young man and woman falling in love, I’m reminded of all the things that I love about my husband, Robby.

We have now been married for 13 years and, like people in all marriages, we have had easy as well as difficult times.  Together, we have experienced  a rollercoaster of emotions that include the highs of falling in love, the joy of having two children together, the despair of losing loved ones, the depths of depression, the fatigue of too much stress, and the exhilaration of achieving monumental goals.

Each hill we have climbed and overcome has deepened our love and sculpted it into a new form.  And now, our love is different than it was at those earliest moments.  It has grown and stretched in multiple ways as both of us have matured and changed.

Our love is still filled with excitement, deep-belly laughter, inside jokes, heart-warming surprises, and shared joy in our children’s growth.  At the same time, our love has matured to become deeply patient, forgiving, empathetic, kind and enduring.

Seeing that young couple in the throes of falling in love was a great reminder of all of those emotions my husband and I shared at the beginning of our relationship.  It was also a great reminder of just how far we have come as we have grown together and overcome the challenges life has thrown at us.

So wherever you are on your journey of love – enjoy the various ways that love stretches and changes over time!  Through the ups and downs of life, may your love continue to be exciting, funny, heart-warming as well as patient, forgiving, kind and enduring.

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