34 and counting

My parents celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary yesterday. Imagine that - 34 years!

Tomorrow mornin' if you wake up
And the sun does not appear
I will be here

I suppose it is something I often take for granted. Simply cos I do not really come from a circle of family friends their generation, where things don't work out. Even if it has broken down, they persist with it, till time naturally runs out.

If in the dark we lose sight of love
Hold my hand and have no fear
'Cause I will be here

I sometimes sit and compare my parents' generation with my own. How much more tenacity they seem to have. And how the word "vow" has the meaning to which it has been assigned.

Tomorrow mornin' if you wake up
And the future is unclear
I'll be here

Sure, my folks have their fights. Some days, my brother would ring me up and go "Dad's at his wits end on this cold war that Mum has started." Some days, my mum would be wiping down the dining table and going "Your F.A.T.H.E.R!"

Just as sure as seasons are made for change
Our lifetimes are made for years
I will be here

Life has not been easy for my folks. And I wonder, if they were of my generation, I seriously do not think they would still be together, after all the crap that they have gone thru.

I will be true to the promise I have made
To you and to the One who gave you to me

I will be here

A lot of people have been wondering the value, purpose and meaning of LIFE. Must be all that Oprah that goes on. And more often than nought, we hear that "all the successes in the world would be worthless, unless you had someone to share it with." And I ask myself - is marriage really a pillar, against which we should benchmark our success in life, and living? And how does that affect your success indicators, if it doesn't work out?

I will be here... When you feel like bein' quiet
When you need to speak your mind ~ I will listen
And I will be here
When the laughter turns to cryin
'Through the winnin' and losin' and tryin'
We'll be together cause I will be here

I am at this point in my life, where I am only just starting to understand what it means to 'love myself'. And looking back, the longest relationship I have ever had, lasted as long as it did, simply because we were too far apart for it to crumble. I do wonder, if I would be as blessed as my parents, to be surrounded by grandkids, in-laws, to be celerating even a 10th wedding anniversary at any point in the future. Right now, it's one of those things that fall into the 'unforseeable future' category.

I will be here....You can cry on my shoulder
When the mirror tells us we're older, I will hold you
I will be here ... To watch you grow in beauty
And tell you all the things you are to me
I will be here

If there is one thing that I have learnt, watching and living with the two grown-ups that I can my parents, it would be that marriage is something you've gotta keep working at. But no matter how bad, or how long a spell of a patch is, it is never worth the sacrifice of giving up the many blissful, ordinary days just for the pain to be over and done with for the moment. Cos living a lifetime without - it's just unimaginable.