<em>"Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."</em>

The biggest mistake some people make -- the biggest mistake I've made -- is looking at love from the "moons, Junes and Ferris wheels" side, listening to the final words of almost any fairy tale.

<em>"And they lived happily ever after ..."</em>

Uh, sorry, but it doesn't often work that way. You can stay together and be basically happy, but there are always going to be ups and downs. I remember Myrna Loy and Fredric March in the wonderful old movie "The Best Years of Our Lives" telling their daughter that there had been times in their 20-plus year marriage that they had hated each other and other times they had to fall in love all over again.

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I don't know why people expect anything different. There are days when I'm pretty lovable and there are other days when I'm such an asshole I hate myself. I'm not sure there was ever a more beautiful verse written that Paul's comments about love in First Corinthians.

Love bears all things.

Love endures all things.

Love never fails.

That means no matter how bad a day someone is having, no matter what things they might say to you, if you love them you keep on loving them. That's why an important part of the marriage ceremony is accepting your mate for better or for worse.

Let's be honest. The only reason marriages fail is because one party or the other stops loving. That's not to say you can't walk away when you love someone. That's exactly what I did in my first marriage. I loved her, but I knew she wasn't going to love me anymore, so self-preservation drove me away.

That marriage didn't last five years.

My second one -- my life marriage -- is working on its 18th year now, and to be honest, there have been every bit as many ups and downs. But there has been no lack of commitment on either side, and there is no lack of love.

In the end, Paul had it right.

Love <em>never</em> fails.