Everyone deserves to love and be loved.
Basically, there are 5 stages in love life. (for me)
Stage 1: Find a guy or girl or better guy-s or girl-s ^^
We always go for looks, reputation, intellect and riches. The missing essential part is a good personality. This is a very important criteria if we are searching for a soulmate. It's hard to find a perfect one so try to be realistic then cos no one is perfect. Reflect on ourselves first before we look into others.
Stage 2: Start a relationship
Start friendship first then love relationship (if both get along well).
Good statements on relationship:
"A relationship is both a journey into intimacy with another and with self. it is so easy to lose ourselves in a relationship. Sometimes, we tend to forget who we are in order to fit into the world of our beloved. We sacrifice our true desires and compromise our needs to keep the relationship alive. How can we truly love another if we have neglected ourselves?"
"We can damage a relationship by our expectations and demands that the relationship make us happy."
The fact is no one can make us happy unless we ourselves choose to be happy! Self-acceptance is important before we start a relationship. We should take time to love and accept ourselves.
"Loving oneself means taking good care of our bodies - eating well, getting enough sleep, exercising. It means taking time to feel and to express our feelings authentically. It includes being aware of our thoughts and choosing thoughts that contribute to our happiness as well as connecting with the source within us on a regular basis."
"No relationship is easy. Everyone tests the depth of our commitment to ourselves and others. Gradually, selfish love dies and is reborn as unconditional love. There is an immerse sense of appreciation and reverence for the beloved. Our hearts will be more open and we will gaze more deeply into each other's eyes."
If we are sure that he or she is our Mr or Mrs Right, then we can proceed to Stage 3.
Stage 3: The Wedding
Thanks to our parents, friends, relatives and social networking, we will find ourselves getting into either match-made or love marriages or it can be both - match-made by them (cos our parents always know and choose the best for us) and we fall in love with the chosen one eventually.
You love him, he loves you, your parents like him, his parents like you and here comes the proposal *the wedding bells sound* ...it might not be as easy as it sounds.
A marriage unites 2 different people and 2 different families as well.
Stage 4: Marriage life
Marriage is the start of a new life. It is a lifelong process of living with your partner and enriching your relationship with each other. All marriages will have its ups and downs. It's important to have mutual understanding and effective communication all the time.
Remember that "Marriage is a lifetime commitment".
Recall your wedding vow:
"I promise to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and honour her all the days of my life."
Reflect on the day you fall in love with your beloved.
Browse through your wedding pictures and wedding video
*sweet memories*
Some lovely quotes about marriage:
A marriage isn't dresses or aisles or rings
Or wedding cakes and invites and all those things
It's taking and giving in equal share
It's promising that you will always be there
When things depress you and get you down
When you are feeling sad and he's acting the clown
Remember this day, and why you chose to be here
Then THANK GOD for each other, year after year.
Stage 5: Family life
I can't comment much for this stage cos I haven't started mine on my own.
My parents have successfully built a happy family and I'm so proud of my family!
I salute all the mothers in the world as being a mother is the greatest gift and also the most challenging task.
She has to sacrifice her body, beauty, energy, and time to bear a child for 9 months. Somemore, she has to endure the pregnancy blues, pre-natal and post-natal syndromes. Her task has not ended after those 9 months and it has just begun. Wahhhh.... (I think I'm scaring myself with this)
+ outlook about new family :
Extra joy and pleasure - learn to become parents.
- outlook about new family :
Extra stress, less sleep, and less money - have to think twice before spending and start saving for the child's future.
Erm, I choose to enjoy my married life first! Haha
*I only share my opinions and some quotes from Li Yen's article in NST (20th Sept 2010) in this post*
