Marry me...

Marriage. The ultimate contract of all time. The bonding between two souls meant to last for all their lives. For better or worse, through thick and thin, till the end.

Marriage. A proclamation of love, trust and loyalty between love-birds. An eternal binding of two lives. A melding of two souls to live through the rest of their lives as family.

Marriage. Love. Sacrifice.

There is no marriage that can survive without sacrifice. A marriage without love is naught more that a contract. A marriage without sacrifice is naught at all.

A pyramid is built upon the back of slaves. And without the slaves, there can be no magnificence within the pyramid. Such is the case with marriage. For without sacrifice, marriage will fall apart within selfishness. But before we continue on, let's better understand the meaning of sacrifice.

What do i mean by sacrifice? Sacrifice is giving in. Letting go of selfishness and ego for the sake of your significant other or loved one. Forgetting your self and wishes for the sake of others. Ring a bell? Yes. This is exactly what people in love would do for one another. Sacrifice.

You might argue that sacrificing is something done out of necessity, not love. Well, look at it this way. Love cannot survive if you are not willing to part with your wishes every once in awhile for the good of your loved one. How could arguments end if neither party would give in? How can you compromise if both of you continue to state your case without cutting a little slack for your partner? Thus the necessity of sacrifice is made. Every once in a while, you'd have to give in to your love'd one's needs and wants.

Thus far, we've identified that sacrifice is important in love and marriage. But how much sacrifice should you make? The answer? It's not with me. The answer's with you; and him/her. How long do you wish for the relationship to last? How long do you wish for the marriage to last? As long as you wish to keep the relationship strong and healthy, you'll have to be willing to make some sacrifices.

Sacrificing a bit of time for the family. Overcoming your ego to please the family, tearing yourself away from other activities to bring happiness to the family. All these add up to the betterment of the relationship. Thus is marriage dependent on sacrifice.

Arguments will rise in marriage. It is a long road full of potholes that couples take. And as soon as they enter the stage of marriage, the potholes get bigger. And neither one could cross through without the other. For the ties that bind, binds them together as one. No longer are you just man and woman. Now have you become husband and wife.

No longer are you alone. As the days pass, it may grow harder for you to remember this. But this is the most important thing you must remember. Everything you do now will be for each other. Not just yourself. For good or bad, it's for the both of you.

That is marriage. It is a link. When one suffers, both sufers.

Then comes another important question. Is it love that leads to a good marriage, or is it just chance? Does love grow as time passes within a marriage? Love. Yes, it can lead to marriage. And newly weds usually find themselves overcome with joy and ecstacy upon marriage. But time passes and that excitement may dull down.

Then, does the test of faith and love come in. For it is when you have grown accustomed to each other that loce and care can truly develop. You learn to live with each other, share your thoughts and feelings, sacrifice some time and put in effort to try and understand each other. Develop trust and concern for each other as is expected of married couples.

How long can you keep doing that? How long before you grow tired of the endless "being together" and "loving each other"? Yes, one day that will happen. The romance will not last forever. It is then that you, and him/her will have to make the effort to renew the light in your marriage.

This is the very reason why you tie the knot. Why marriage has become something of great import between a couple.

Once the love and affection has mulled down, the ties of marriage is what binds the two of you together. Marriage is what give you the responsibility to keep on going and to keep on caring for one another. It is what motivates you to keep loving each other.

Marriage. It is a contract. It is a binding link. It is love.