Happily Ever Afters

Photo Credit:  Microsoft Clip ArtAs a romance writer, even a paranormal romance writer, there is one thing that I cannot fail to do — deliver a Happily Ever After!

In books it’s easy to do if you set up the conflict correctly, know what issues need to be resolved and last, end the book while the couple are in the throes of that blissful true love moment.

In life, and in books, the Happily Ever After once that blissful moment is over is sometimes not so easy to maintain. It’s why I loved being able to revisit Diana and Ryder from DARKNESS CALLS in their second book – DEATH CALLS. It’s probably why I’ll write yet another story featuring them since readers understand that achieving that Happily Ever After can be difficult, but oh so joyous when it finally happens.

With the benefit of age and hopefully some wisdom, I look back at my marriage and realize that it hasn’t been easy staying married. There have been ups and down, most times caused by external pressures such as jobs, illnesses and deaths, but somehow through it all, we’ve not only persevered, we’ve stayed happy together.

Some might wonder how that’s possible. How do you slog through the rough times in life and still manage to keep alive the Happily Ever After?

I realized the other day that the answer was: Humor. Respect. Understanding.

Oh wait, that’s three answers, isn’t it! LOL!

But there it was, one way to Happily Ever After and not just in the books that I write, but in real life.

Find someone who can make you laugh and pick you up during the hard times. Someone who respects your opinions and your contributions to the relationship. Someone who understands your needs, both physical and mental. In reality, combine all those attributes and you will usually find Love and with Love comes the Happily Ever After.

How about you? For those of you who have been in long term relationships, what do you find keeps you going through good times and bad?

4 Replies to “Happily Ever Afters”

  1. 😎 December will see my sweetie and I married for 29 years. He is indeed my “better half”, the grounded part of our up and down roller coaster ride through life. I prefer to think of us as Karl and Jackie rather than Mr and Mrs and that separateness has strengthened our togetherness all these years. Marriage is indeed a work in progress but like you say humor, respect and understanding can work miracles when the hard times come. Love never dies, like may come and go but when someone truly cares for you no matter what that is worth hanging onto forever!!

    jackie b central texas 😀

  2. You said it early on in the blog…you wrote “happy ever after”. That’s better than happily ever after.
    Being able to laugh and hold on to each other in times of great stress…knowing that someone has your back all the time…now, that’s a good feeling. Happy ever after…despite the pain and arguments and tears…you can do it if you really try.
    It may take a tremendous amount of compromise, but it can be done.
    Thirty three years and still counting. 😉

  3. Well…. we have only been married for four years but it feels like forty. Sometimes that’s a good thing and sometimes it is not. We have struggled and struggled some more. It is never easy. But I will say that I love hearing of other relationships and how they do it. And when I see how strong those marriages are (from where they came from to where they are… I call them my powerhouse couples) they make me smile inside. My motto is marriage is like a garden you have to work at every single day. And that is what I do. Some marriages are just built to go okay… and some are built like mine…. to struggle and show the world that hard work will get you somewhere. It might not be where you want it to go.. but… you will get somewhere, lol.

    Thanks Caridad!! Hope all is well!!!

  4. My husband and I were married 22 years. It was not always easy but when we had a problem, we talked. We made each other laugh and we did respect each other but I really believe we would not have made it if we hadn’t been able to talk to each other. It worked for us but each couple is different as is what works for them. Have a great day and hugs.
    PS– my family is in Michigan now and I miss them.

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