My Wife must have these qualifications.
First off I need you to understand something in my world, when it comes to the person I'm going to spend my life I'm really critical. In my mind a true relationship needs a cover of friendship, a frame of trust, and a base of true love. True love needs to be the base because if all the other things come crumbling down, true love is the only thing that it could be built back up from. If you lost friendship, and trust, there would be no reason to stay with your spouse. Unless you were truly, madly in love with them. True love can not be defined but it can be explained. In my idea of true love, it has to be much more than just a feeling. It has to be the giving of your entire self to someone. No hesitation, a combination of words and actions. When you love someone you know that you would never do anything to hurt that person. You would have to because if you don't trust yourself to not hurt them, how can you trust them not to hurt you? Love is a partnership, when your in love you are entering into a partnership of life. I think I understand the idea of marriage a little better now. Unfortunately I think I also understand why so many aren't working now a days.
Now the frame of the relationship would have to be trust. Trust is what will keep it standing, if the trust is shook it weakens the foundation. In order for a marriage/relationship to work you must never do anything to lose the trust of your partner. If the trust was ever for any reason to be jeopardized the only thing that could logically keep you together is if you two are truly in love.
The covering would have to be friendship. Without that we couldn't get thro the day-by-day operations of life together. We'd go crazy, but if we are best-friends our lives become one, without that person your not you any more. By being friends it insures that you will polite, friendly, and just all around nice to this person on a day-by-day basis. Yes, the very next time she'll be my friend.
When these 3 things are in perfect orbit, and the swamp gases of Jupiter and reflecting light from the moon during an eclipse. I will know the time is right. Because when the 3 ingredients keep your house in order, then your life with your partner is in order, and you two can grow, and love, and blossom, and give back to love, and raise love, and fall in love, over and over again. And that's why my wife and I have to have these qualifications.
