fairfarmhand Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I've been thinking about this alot lately. So many fairy tales and movies end when the loving couple gets together against all odds. Romantic right? However, the more I think about it, true love doesn't end when the two people are together "happily ever after". Because in the real world, yes we have times of happiness, but we also live through difficulties, sadness and hard times. I think the most romantic love is the love that sticks it out even when it is hard. True love is there even when the word "cancer" is mentioned. True love buys gatorade and chicken noodle soup when the stomach flu comes around. True love laughs with you about the drool spots on your pillow. True love changes the diapers of an adult, because sometimes, that just happens. True love holds your hand at funerals and passes you the Kleenex. True love watches the kids so you can say goodbye to someone you love for the last time. True love forgives all the hurts that come around when you live with someone all the time. True love goes the the nursing home every day, just to make sure he/she is ok, eating and taking their medicine. True love watches the same movies over again just because it is somebody else's favorite. My mom and dad were married over thirty years and I watched true love through the last 10. My dad was never a romantic person ( I never remember his buying mom a Valentine's day gift) but I saw his love for my mom in the hard times because he was there for her all the time, even when she needed round the clock care in the past few years. I've been married almost 14 years, and I've found true love too. Movies and books don't dramatize this type of love (it is not quite as exciting as the guy meets girl type) but I believe it is the bedrock of society. People passing true love onto their children, to their spouses, to their parents, even when it hard. What does true love mean to you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 (edited) I think it is finding a person you just cant live without and would literally give your life for. But I dont think it is common and I dont think every married person has it. ;) Edited February 24, 2011 by kwickimom add a word Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Warm apple pie with ice cream? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kchara Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I believe that love is a decision, not an emotion. Infatuation, lust, those are emotions, but love is a decision. I have decided to be truly in love with my husband, day by day, year by year, and that decision is what leads to all of the beautiful statements made by the OP. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Year Round Mom Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I think the opposite of love is not hate, but selfishness. Love is giving of self for the sake of another's best interest. Love might take the form of an act of service or a choice to forgive an offense. But it's not love if it's not for the other person's benefit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alenee Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I believe that love is a decision, not an emotion. Infatuation, lust, those are emotions, but love is a decision. I have decided to be truly in love with my husband, day by day, year by year, and that decision is what leads to all of the beautiful statements made by the OP. :) :iagree: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 To me, true love means that everything I do should be guided by this: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." From 1 Corinthians 13. Practically speaking, true love is when you've lived through the less-than-sunshine-and-roses times and are still committed and still appreciative of the beautiful times. It's a choice. I have often said that we should get married again, because now we actually know what marriage means and what it truly entails. At the end of the day, he's still The One. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Love is a verb. Love is alive and must be fed. You must constantly be working at it, doing things to keep the relationship alive, a constant push and pull from both parties. If one person isn't willing to do this, the relationship is unbalanced and like most unbalanced things, time will cause it to fail. Relationships only work with committment. Committment to marriage, friendship, parenting. Commitmrnt trhough the good and bad. Marriage is a partnership to get through life, not a guarantee that life will be good. Life is hard. You need someone to help you paddle upstream, avoid the rapids and whirpools: not float where the current takes you. Marriage is the buoy in a storm. The comfort of knowing you have someone else to hold onto and rely on. Lara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 (edited) I believe that love is a decision, not an emotion. Infatuation, lust, those are emotions, but love is a decision. I have decided to be truly in love with my husband, day by day, year by year, and that decision is what leads to all of the beautiful statements made by the OP. :) :iagree: It's putting on the rose colored glasses and focusing on the good things. (In a healthy way, not a denial way cuz I HATE denial with a passion.) It's being committed to love your spouse more then yourself and putting your spouse first. It's being willing to look inward and see how YOU can change or what YOU can do to make things better and to make your spouse happier. It's choosing to act towards another person with a sincere and pure motive - their best interest. It's demonstrating love towards your spouse when they are not doing the same for you. It's grace. It's a promise, a committment, an oath, a vow. It's when your fiance gets a traumatic brain injury in a car accident two months before your wedding and goes from a beautiful, vivacious young woman full of promise to a crippled, drooling invalid and you say on national TV, "What kind of person would I be if I left her now?" Chris Medina is a hero. A hero for love. This is it. This is true love. Edited February 24, 2011 by katemary63 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 To me, true love means that everything I do should be guided by this: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." From 1 Corinthians 13. Practically speaking, true love is when you've lived through the less-than-sunshine-and-roses times and are still committed and still appreciative of the beautiful times. It's a choice. I have often said that we should get married again, because now we actually know what marriage means and what it truly entails. At the end of the day, he's still The One. :) :iagree: True love is also a sense of peace... the knowing that you have another half with you completing a whole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I think "true love" implies the existence of a fake or false love and I'm not sure I believe in those. Love always feels real to the person feeling it, though they might change their mind about it later. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I think "true love" implies the existence of a fake or false love and I'm not sure I believe in those. Love always feels real to the person feeling it, though they might change their mind about it later. Rosie :iagree:Sounds like fairy tale lingo to me. Love can be real, but still be transient. People change. The only love I know I'll always feel is that for my children. (Don't pity me. I have a good marriage, but consider myself a realist more than a romantic.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 I think "true love" implies the existence of a fake or false love and I'm not sure I believe in those. Love always feels real to the person feeling it, though they might change their mind about it later. Rosie Agreed, though some people use the word love to describe other types of relationships such as co-dependant or needy relationships or relationships based on pride and other things. I would say those are relationships that are called love but aren't really....This is kinda turning into an exercise in defining what love is. Sometimes the word truely is used inappropriately unless you want to go so far as to say that love is what ever the individual thinks it is. I mean, the man who beats his wife says he loves her, but I have no problem saying that, ah, no, he doesn't. ps. I do believe in true love - the forever kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I think it's all of those things and romantic. I am very lucky that my DH is romantic and truly puts an effort in to that side of our marriage; however, romance alone would never have gotten us through 18 years of marriage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I think the best definition of true love I have heard is this one: to choose again, each day, the person you married over all other people. (meaning other potential partners, not setting the love of spouse in opposition to the love of children.) :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 true love is realizing your dh is not a romantic and loving him anyway. :D True love listens to the other person. true love protects you when you need it, picks you up when you need, and sometimes tells you things are going to be okay even if they don't have a clue that they will. true love lets the cat sleep on the bed even if they'd rather it didn't true love fills up your car with gas when they borrow it true love cooks their favorite meal if you can't eat it because of food allergies true love edifies true love forgives ...at least that is how it has played out in our house for the last 18 1/2 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I think when you love someone that much, your whole life is enriched and your heart is naturally open to all of life. Love that only loves one person and not everyone is not love- that is need. Not that you cant love your partner deeply and wildly in a personal way, in a way you don't love other people. But to me love is a huge thing and not to be confined to one person. If your heart is truly open to one person, it wont close to others. It just doesn't work that way. To me love is the bedrock of life, not something that is confined to relationships. True love is just real love rather than something that pretends to be love, and it doesn't necessarily look like anything in particular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LidiyaDawn Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 It's when your fiance gets a traumatic brain injury in a car accident two months before your wedding and goes from a beautiful, vivacious young woman full of promise to a crippled, drooling invalid and you say on national TV, "What kind of person would I be if I left her now?" Chris Medina is a hero. A hero for love. This is it. This is true love. Wow. I haven't watched AI for a few years and hadn't caught more than a snip or two of this season... that was beautiful. And heartbreaking. And beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillary in KS Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 "Princess Bride" quote in 3...2....1.... :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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