Does anybody really believe that it is possible?

... those of you who have been married for several years or even in a relationship for a long period...

Could you love them regardless.. if they lost their looks in the morning or limbs... would you want them the same?
Are most people fickle and out for a challenge... what they can't have they want more?

... less pleasing when possessed??

I would love my husband regardless of whether he gained 100 lbs, lost some teeth, or went bald. I love my husband for what is inside, outside does not matter to me, and the love I have for him now will never change.

But do men feel as deep as women? Do you know the song " only a womens heart can know"... I'm not so sure I've met some men who are quite emotionally attached to their parnters... but is attachment the same as love?

A very good question. I don't think I can answer that without being in such a state but I believe we have the capacity to see more of what we're made of as we move forward in time and I'll bet most of us would be very comfortable and willing to take on any obstacle presenting itself with or without warning. It takes very little empathy to mirror other's frailties and early demise onto our own condition and will remind us again and again that we are never sure how close we are to that which "only affects someone else." Love feels so good and when the experience of time and change stand hand in hand with love we won't find it tarnished, we'll find things more wondrous than we know and we'll be face to face with the next to impossible reality that our spouse/partner had the chance to come into the world and live and grow and experience so much and if I had all the knowledge and all the gold I would never be able to create such a being and now I will do all that is possible to safeguard that person and in turn will feel very good soaring above the trees with the wind in my face. I dream I can fly and lots of people tell me they dream they can fly too.

Good question, and yes.

I'm not talking about infatuation or lust - that always goes away.

I've seen a spouse take care of the other, when the othe no longer remembers their name and can't control bodily functions.

I've seen partners stick together even though one of them is dying of aids.

Some stick together through infidelity[s].

So, the answer is yes.



Grace and Peace

I would guess aging husbands stick with wives as much as--and even more than--aging wives stay with husbands.

Don't forget--usually both change physically (age) at similar rates. Both get grey/white hair, put on weight, stiffen up, slow down. Of course, accidents can happen at any time and it's not just suddenly there's a leg gone or lots of scar tissue or blindness. There will be hospital time, surgeries, extended care along the way. The couple "grows into" the realization that life has changed drastically and both partners accept it or don't.

After 30 or 40 or 50 years with one person, who wants to be alone and start over? Keep the devil that you know is one way of putting it. Like my former boss used to say, "No matter what life brings my husband and me, I won't divorce him. It's taken me all these years to train THIS one. Why would I want to start over and train someone else?"

I've been with my wife for 33 years and we are still growing. Its not all peaches and cream, But I ain't going nowhere, with nobody else.

Yes, love can be unconditional. I have experienced it from both sides.

Hugs, Didi

Yes I totally agree that unconditional love exsists. Looks go, that's a giving. Attraction and lust are what normally bring people together in the beginning but over time that's replaced with intimacy and a bond that's shared by the two of you alone. Sure the lust part is fun and all but I think the closeness that comes later is the best part.

I say yes, My grandparents are in their 80s and are still growing strong, my parents were together until my father passed from cancer in 2001 (and believe me when I say that my mom is NOT easy to get along with in fact she lives for to put it nicely debates), and my husband and I always work through any differences before they turn ugly or fester. Our secret is that we always remember to take time for each other and don't waste precious time dwelling on the small irritants that arise after having been together for years. Everyone changes the important thing is to grow together.

Those who "seek lust and chemistry" and those men who marry much younger women have personal issues that need resolution. And those actions are not as common as one would think and thus make it to the top of the conversation tower.

I cannot judge any one else, but can say we (wife and I) have been so busy that time flew by so fast, that we found ourselves with GROWN children, and grandkids. We found it to be as we started, just me and her. Not only are we comfortable together, we love each other, and marvel at what we have done, and how fast life has moved. I can only speak for me, as I THANK GOD FOR MY BLESSINGS, and continue to pray for more. We have worked hard to get where we are. We appreciate the reward of hard times, and hard work.