A Lesson in Love: The True Meaning of Marriage

I stood in my bedroom, the soft hum of my makeup brush against my cheeks and the steady rhythm of my breathing as I applied mascara to my lashes. The room was filled with the usual hum of vanity and self-indulgence—an ordinary moment in my twenties where my biggest concerns revolved around bouncing back and forth between two men like a rubber ball.

But today, the ordinary was interrupted. Through the thin walls, I could hear my father groaning in pain from the bathroom across the hall. My mother’s voice cut through the groans, calm and soothing. “It’s okay, Chris,” she said. “I’m here.”

It was the beginning of a challenging chapter for my father—a painful reminder of the prostate cancer he’d battled years earlier. The disease’s side effects were now worsening, and my mother was there, steadfast and unwavering. I leaned closer to the mirror, my mascara brush trembling slightly as I heard another groan from my father. A clank followed, signaling an accident that was beyond his control. “I’m so sorry,” he said, his voice tinged with helplessness.

“It’s okay, Chris,” my mother reassured him once more. “I’m here.”

After finishing my makeup, I sat on my bed with the door slightly ajar. The sounds from the bathroom continued to fill the silence of my room. As I stared out the window, tears began to fall onto my jeans, marking a silent epiphany. This was not just a moment of health crisis—it was a profound lesson in what marriage truly means.

Marriage isn’t defined by grand weddings, lavish date nights, or cozy Netflix marathons. It is found in the quiet, often unseen, moments of darkness. It is the raw and vulnerable spaces where one spouse helps the other during times of humiliation and pain, standing together when it is hardest to do so.

As young girls and boys, we are often sold the fairy tale—happy endings, perfect beginnings, and comedic interludes. But true romance, as I realized in that quiet moment, is forged in the crucible of life’s most difficult times. It is the ability to be there for one another when the world seems at its darkest.

Sitting on my bed, I made a decision. I wanted my future to reflect the love and commitment I had witnessed between my parents—not perfect, but beautifully enduring. Their marriage, marked by its own ups and downs, had shown me that true love is found in those tough spots, even in the bathroom.

The sounds of struggle and support continued to echo through the walls, a poignant reminder that marriage is not just about shared joy but about standing together through life’s trials. And so, with newfound clarity, I resolved to embrace a love that mirrored the steadfast and imperfect beauty I saw in my parents—love that shines brightest in the most challenging of times.