your SPOUSE is the one who’ll sit beside you when your PARENTS DIE. who’ll hold your hand through CHILDBIRTH. who might have to BATHE YOU if you’re ever too sick to stand. this isn’t just about BUTTERFLIES or DATE NIGHTS. it’s about choosing someone who SHOWS UP... in GRIEF, in MESS, in UNCERTAINTY. so no, LOVE ALONE isn’t enough. COMMITMENT, MATURITY, and the ability to ENDURE life’s ugly parts... that’s what sustains a MARRIAGE. because when life gets PAINFULLY REAL, ROMANCE won’t carry you... CHARACTER will. and the truth is, FOREVER is only possible with someone who knows how to STAY when it’s HARD TO LOVE