Corinthians

My husband and I selected these words as the tags on the potted flowers we gave away to guests at our wedding. We were idealistic and young. But we also had a vision for what we wanted to experience in our marriage and in our lives. This, when all other things have changed, has remained the same.

This kind of love does not come easy. Each of these goals must be worked at and practiced daily. It's about choosing personal growth over the comfort of stability. It's about humility in the face of insult. It is about compassion trumping anger. Love is not about what you get, and entirely about what you give. 

At times, we have shown each of these traits - to ourselves, to each other, and to those around us. Other times, we've shown the complete opposite. It's a struggle to show up as the best version of yourself - so if you're doing it to get a reaction out of the other person, you might as well stop because it's going to fail. 

This is an exercise in BEING love. Whether you and your partner end up staying together or if you get what you wanted out of the relationship is irrelevant. What you will have learned is how to love and how to be loved. That is the fairytale ending we can all hope for.