On our fortieth anniversary
many people asked: What is the
secret to making a marriage last?

Well, it’s really not a secret.
It’s just a truth often overlooked.
The truth is to marry for love
and nothing, nothing else.

Don’t marry to have children,
for money, possessions, or politics.
Don’t marry for convenience,
due to loneliness, to end depression, or for sex.
Marry for love and nothing, nothing else.

But even if you heed this truth
and your heart is true .
How will you know this love?
It’s so easy to be deceived.

To that I can only say this:
Love is not contentment or acceptance.
It isn’t commitment or a contract.
It isn’t peace or tranquility.
It isn’t patience or endurance.

Love is joy and exhilaration.
It is passion and obsession.
It is commotion and chaos
It is confidence and trust
It is devotion and sacrifice.

So, examine your relationship and
marry only if you find love and
know that nothing else matters.