My Aunt is visiting Mom and Dad in the US. While chatting on Skype with Dad about what they’ve been doing during her visit and the Super Bowl commercials, this message came through from Mom:
“Yesterday Uncle Roy called to talk for the first time since she’s been away. Just to tell her he’s leaving her. He still loves her, will always take care of her, but needs to spend his life finding himself again. Very devastating news.”
What?!?
They’ve been married for 25 years, raised three amazing kids together, built their house together with their own hands (they even made the bricks by hand!), and worked side by side as business partners through their whole marriage. If they can’t make it, what hope does anybody else’s marriage have of surviving? Let’s hope that this is a phase; a mid-life crisis, or whatever. Please don’t let this be the end of their relationship.
Here I am planning a wedding to the love of my life, and two people whom I believed had a happy, strong relationship may split. That doesn’t leave me feeling very confident.
In my age group everybody places so much importance on the wedding, but they don’t plan for life after the honeymoon. To me, the wedding is just a formality. We’re already fully committed to each other. The wedding is just a chance for us to celebrate our love and life together with those that we love.
We promise each other daily that we’ll be partners forever. That whatever challenges we face, we will survive them together.
Surely our marriage will last…right?
I get that people fall out of love, but I couldn’t imagine a time or circumstance where I wouldn’t love my partner, where he wouldn’t be part of my life. What I fear most is that one day we’ll fall out of love…stop trying…give up.
We’re going into this marriage with the best of intentions and the willingness to work at our relationship. I know we can make it, but I’d be lying if I said that this news doesn’t make me worry.
slosydney 