Okay so I'm abnormal. I was faithfully married for 29 years. She died in March of '04. We loved each other and got along almost all the time. In those nearly three decades I can remember two, possibly three actual disagreements. We had different views on religion but otherwise agreed with each other about most things. She got cancer and spent 6 years trying to survive. I did what a husband is supposed to do. I am doing it still by raising our children. This is real life and I don't deserve a medal or even any praise, this is what grown-up people do.
Nitwits who think that real life includes Knights in shining armor and Fair damsels waiting to be rescued are in for disappointment.
Sorry for your loss. You sound like you didn't take your time together for granted.
The biggest problem is that many people just want to weigh anchor and leave when the going gets tough. It becomes too much work. My parents went through some very tough times (my dad was an alcoholic nearly his entire life) but they stuck it out because...that is what most of their generation usually did.
The last 15 years of his life, he kicked alcohol, and they had a wonderful marriage. They were indeed best friends.
That taught me, as an adult, that persistence and work make a bedrock foundation for a marriage. If you really liked and loved each other to begin with, it will always be there.
Well said. Lasting marriage is easy. All you need do is care more for your spouse and children's happiness than your own. As long as both do this, the marriage will last.