Love Story Reflection

      I was slightly hesitant to ask my mom to share about her relationship with my father, because I thought I knew everything there was to know about their marriage. I had heard countless accounts of how they met and when they were engaged, so I was not sure I could really learn anything new about their relationship. Fortunately, I was completely wrong!
      When my mom spoke about how she and my dad were engaged only six months after meeting, I began to question how such a successful relationship could have been solidified only after a few, short months. However, my mom thinks that their quick-paced relationship worked because they were both very dedicated people who would remain determined to make the relationship last. The overarching theme of this seemed to be that no matter how long two people are together, it is not worth anything if one of them is not committed to making the relationship endure.
      Another interesting point my mother made was that there are many small things you can do to show the other person you care. My mom does countless mundane chores for my father, but she knows that he really appreciates her efforts, so she is happy oblige. This dynamic works when gratitude is reciprocated, because it serves as motivation for affection to continue.
      Although my parent's relationship does not look anything like Beyoncé and Jay-Z's marriage (unfortunately), they seem content with their day-to-day lives. One television show that is relatively accurate in portraying several different types of relationships is Modern Family. My parents' relationship reminds me a little bit of that of Phil and Claire Dumphy (except my parents are not nearly as entertaining). They are slightly dysfunctional, my dad's a little goofy, and my mom's a slightly strict, but they love one another, and they accept each other's flaws.
      A song that connects to my parent's love story is "I'll Never Let You Go" by Steelheart. Not only was this their wedding song, but it also an accurate illustration of how committed and dedicated they are to one another. One line from the song is "you're the only one for me, you're all I need / and I'll never, never let you go." Over the years, they have had their obstacles, but they recognize that despite their imperfections, they make each other happy, and they want to spend their entire lives together. Since my parent's relationship was quick to take off, another line from the song that is also applicable to their relationship is "first time I laid my eyes upon you, all my dreams were answered." It was not too long after my dad laid eyes on my mom that he decided she was the one for him.