The Magic of Love

The magic of love is not found in an instant. The magic is found in the years that are spent cultivating a love that withstands the toughest that life throws it's way -- JLM

I thought of this after watching a Hallmark channel movie called The Magic of Ordinary Days. The basic gist of the movie is that Keri Russell gets pregnant out of wedlock by a Navy guy on his furlough. Her father, a minister, arranges a marriage for her to Skeet Ulrich. He is a farmer living a very simple life. Keri, still in love with the Sailor, agrees to the marriage but finds herself painstakingly happy. I am not one to ruin movies, but I'm going to this once. They fall in love. It's not in any one moment. It's over the entire length of her pregnancy. It's in the little things that they fall in love. She is a terrible cook, but she tries so hard. He is a very simple, not interested in discovering the world kind of man and yet begins reading about the Lost City of Troy because she wants to be an archaeologist. Both step out of their comfort zone to try and make the relationship work the best way that the can. And somewhere between nurturing their relationship they fall in love, which is the point behind the title.

Most days in healthy, loving relationships are what people consider "ordinary". The guy takes out the garbage. The girl makes the extra effort to put on some make-up. The guy learns how to dance. The girl learns about cars. They both take care of the kids, cook and clean up, and get ready for bed. There is nothing extraordinary about most days in our often very busy lives and yet there is something to be said for the effort one takes to make their relationship work. One person could leave the other to do everything. They could go about their day not caring that there is one (or more) people to consider other than themselves, and there are plenty of those relationships out there which is why we have a 50% divorce rate in this country.

However ordinary your day seems love makes it extraordinary. You've committed yourself to loving another human being as much as you love yourself. You've committed your life to caring about someone as much as you do about yourself. Vows are extraordinary. Love is extraordinary. Love can be found in the big moments such as proposals, the birth of your child(ren), death of a loved one, etc. But love can also be found when that black trash bag goes out the door over your SO's shoulder. It can be found in those moments spent getting ready for a date. It is found in those every day, ordinary moments. We need to always remember and always cherish and always cultivate that love, because every extraordinary day started just the same as every other day.