As a teenager, my opinion of the girl who would become the love of my life changed dramatically.

We’ve been married for 36 years. Our parents each celebrated 50-year anniversaries. God tuned my heart to spring to life when I hear her voice and yet, despite all of that, marriage isn’t easy, is it?

I wish I had all the answers, but the truth is, growing a strong, healthy marriage is one of the most challenging things I do every day. We work at it and work on it, but even with all our best intentions, there always seem to be gremlins that pop up and try to get in the way of marriages.

I’d like to talk about falling in love. I’d like to talk about staying in love and choosing love. I’d like to talk about what it means to be the husband or wife your spouse needs you to be. And I’d like to learn from you.

Because even though I was a fantastic cooties spotter when I was a kid, the adult version of me, still has a whole lot of growing up to do when it comes to love.