Thoughts On Love and Butterflies

photo by Laura


I was pondering about love and marriage today in the car, and I thought I might as well send a blog out into cyberspace about it. I'm no expert, seeing as I've only been with Derek for 3 1/2 years as opposed to 20+, but I have had a realization -- about butterflies. To experience the feeling of "butterflies" in your stomach is one of the most exhilarating, nauseating, and thrilling of all experiences! It's the precursor to love. What an extraordinary feeling of whimsy! You are happy, and your heart is pounding and you can't stop smiling. It is one of the best feelings there is.

However...

When I was in Young Women's I distinctly remember a fireside given to the youth by our bishop, Bishop Myers, about chastity. I'll never forget what he said. He was giving a statistic about "butterflies" in one's stomach. Apparently, it had been studied and determined that that feeling of butterflies in regards to one's mate last no longer than 5 years. Wait...5 years? What a let down! As a teenager, this was devastating news. Butterflies were all I knew! And they were great, and I loved them, and I didn't want them to go away.

Well, as I had mentioned previously, I've been with Derek 3 1/2 years, and I can already say the swarm of butterflies that there once was have settled down to a gentle flutter. But that's OK because, you know what? They've been replaced with something even better -- a truer, more honest kind of love. The feelings I had for Derek when we were first dating were sweet and sincere, but they have grown into deep feelings, that are all consuming, and powerful. He is my eternal companion! We will be together always, and I know our devotion for each other will continue to grow as the years go by.

Of course, I think we all still get butterflies on occasion, like sometimes when Derek smiles at me in a certain moment, or when he comes home from work, but even if they do go away, that's ok. That's not what love is about.