They said it wouldn’t last. When I married my dearest Anne 18 years ago, lots of people thought the differences in our ages (she’s more than 20 years younger) and religion would ultimately drive us a part.
Not even close. Lord Byron said: “Love is friendship with wings,” and my love for Anne continues to soar.
I’m not sure love makes the world go ’round, but it sure makes the trip worthwhile.
In the film As Good As It Gets, Jack Nicholson, who plays a self-absorbed, unpleasant fellow, tells the woman he loves, “You make me want to be a better man.” I feel the same way about Anne.
Poet Roy Croft* says it even better:
I love you
Not only for what you are,
But for what I am
When I am with you.I love you,
Not only for what
You have made of yourself,
But for what
You are making of me.I love you
For the part of me
That you bring out….…I love you
Because you have done
More than any creed
Could have done
To make me good,
And more than any fate
Could have done
To make me happy.You have done it
Without a touch,
Without a word,
Without a sign.You have done it
By being yourself.
To my Valentine, Anne, thanks for putting up with me and making me a better person.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
* Correction: The audio version of this commentary mistakenly cites Elizabeth Barrett Browning as the poem’s author.