Happy to be in the cage...

Yesterday I was watching Oprah and Goldie Hawn was her guest. They were talking about happiness and discussing reasons why people aren't happy and what could make them happier, etc, etc. Then the topic of marriage came up. I think Goldie said she has been with Kurt Russell for almost 28 years, and like Oprah, neither are married to the men in their lives. They both agree they have found their perfect match, but they are adamant about the fact that they don't want to be married. I completely respect that women should be able to decide if they want to get married or not. But I just don't understand why you would go through the motions and basically have the same type of relationship as married people without just going ahead and sealing the deal.

I think the concept of marriage is devalued more and more as time goes by. We want to have kids together, we want to live together, we want to share insurance benefits and do everything else that married people do, but we don't want to be bound by that forsaken term, "married." Goldie said that marriage has a way of making us feel caged. She went on to say that she's happy to be in the cage with Kurt but she wants the door to be left open. People just don't want to follow through or commit to anything these days. Why is that? We want an easy"out" in case things don't go as well as we'd planned or in case something better comes along. I just don't get it!

I love being married! Things aren't perfect by any stretch and we can really drive each other crazy. But it is special to know that we made a promise to love each other no matter what. He doesn't worry about me running off with someone else and I don't worry that he won't stick around when I'm old and wrinkled. Some days I'm a little moody and other days he is, but the dedication we have to our marriage cannot change like the wind based on how we feel on certain days. We didn't need to get married to assure ourselves that we'd spend the rest of our lives together. We did it because what better way to express your love for each other and your love for God than through a marriage relationship?!?! There is nothing quite like it, and I believe both of us have a strong commitment to make our marriage work, even when it isn't easy. We have a perfectly imperfect marriage, but there is no one else that I'd rather be in a cage with!