From the time most of us were preschoolers, we were fed steady diets of "Epic Love," romances that overcame big odds and were very passionate. "Cinderella," "Aladdin," all the Disney princesses, plenty of fairytales, etc. We cry over the Humphrey Bogart classic movies, "Casablanca" and "African Queen." We bring whole boxes of tissue to more timely Nicholas Sparks novels made into movies: "Message in a Bottle," and "Nights in Rodanthe." There are hardly any movies depicting any semblance of reality such as "The Notebook," in which a couple actually grow old and the woman has Alzheimer's Disease. Another movie which depicts an older couple is "On Golden Pond," in which the character played by Henry Fonda is developing early stage dementia while his wife, played by Katherine Hepburn, tries to cope.
Most of these 'romance' movies and books perpetuate the idea that love and marriage has to be and will be always exciting and passionate. No where do we see dirty underwear, clogged plumbing, food with mold in the refrigerator, exhausted parents, a beer gut, etc. Uncounted numbers of women who are grown up have a habit of reading a series of romance novels. Could it be they are trying to live through the characters what is missing in their lives?
Perhaps there would be fewer divorces if the myth of always exciting and passionate love were to be "busted!" Real love, true love, is lasting, for better, or for worse. Real love, mature love, holy love, knows that the mate is a real person who will sometimes get crabby, be smelly, yet is a very good person inside, worthy of continued love. As yes, sometimes, there will still be "fireworks," even if a couple is old!
Dear Lord, just as You love all of us, as we are, help us love those in our lives, in reality, as we love You, Lord!
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