Love is possible - by Monica

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 60 percent of marriages of couples between the ages of 20 and 25 end in divorce, and 50 percent of all marriages of couples older than 25 result in a failed marriage.

Yes, I know, not happy news like I promised. But that’s not the happy news. The happy news is, yes, love still exists in this world, whether it’s found in the 7th grade…or at 97.

So, don’t stop believing in love, please. It’s out there – and it’s very real.

I feel that many people put a time limit on finding love. Some people have a “to-do list” for their life – get married by 25, have kids by 30, etc. Instead, stop looking. Maybe if people stopped trying to force love so it would fit into the nice little box they planned for themselves, divorce wouldn’t happen at such a high rate. Love doesn’t care about the time table. Love is so much more than a status.

And maybe, if people were willing to work through their problems instead of just giving up, divorce wouldn’t be so high either. If you see two people truly in love, it doesn’t mean they never fight. No, it just means they work through the fights. They make the most out of their struggles.

Love is possible. It takes work, but it is possible. If you have found love, don’t think about the statistics. Instead, change the statistics. Don’t spend your life fearing that you will become part of the 50 or 60%. My Aunt Michele and Uncle Mark have been together since the 7th grade. Yes, the 7th grade – almost 40 years. And they are still as in love as ever. They have proven to me that love can last forever at any age. We just need to stop giving up when the road isn’t easy, because…news flash…the best things in life aren’t easy.

And if you haven’t found love yet or lost love somewhere down the road, don’t give up. Don’t let it bring you down. Don’t think you’ll never find it or you’ll never find it again. Just live your life and let love find you, because love comes when you least expect it. My parents showed me this. The last thing they were looking for was love when they met each other in their mid-30’s. They were both divorced, and the concept of “love” seemed more like a myth. But my mom never would have met my father if it wasn’t for her ex-husband. Her ex-husband’s sister, in fact, set the two of them up on a blind date. My dad worked with her husband, and my mom, well, she used to be married to her brother. And…the rest is history. All the decisions they made in life, the good and the bad, led them to eachother. You never know when you’ll meet the person you will someday marry. Maybe it’s a stranger on an elevator or at your local café. Or maybe you’ll meet through a past relationship, showing you that something you may have once regretted did, in fact, happen for a reason.

I’m going to share with you a letter to “Dear Abby” that was featured in the Oakland Press (view the original article at http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/) . It showed me that love really has no time limit, and it brought a smile to my face:

DEAR ABBY: I am 48 and recently divorced from my husband of 25 years. Like others in my age group, I worry about my prospects of finding another partner -- especially because I am no longer the "cute young thing" I once was.
A few days ago, I was at a local wildlife park and struck up a conversation with a pleasant senior couple. They looked as though they had been married more than 50 years, but they happily informed me they were on their honeymoon! When we finished our chat, the woman said to her husband, "I guess we'd better be going, baby," and off they went, hand-in-hand.
It just goes to show that it's never too late for love to blossom! -- WILLING TO WAIT IN NOVA SCOTIA

DEAR WILLING TO WAIT: I'll say! My lovely cousin Suzie is being married in about two weeks after 26 years as a widow. It never is too late for love to blossom -- all it takes is a seed of friendship and a couple who decide they're ready to make a commitment.