I stood on that Witness stage and got married. The talk was long and boring, and meant to convert all of our non-Witness relatives. The music was pre picked to make sure it was clean enough for a Witness gathering, and the drive to our honeymoon location was as fast as the car could go ... wonder why? Now, twelve years later we have been out of the religion for nearly ten years, and have a three year old son we love very much. I can say three things have helped us stay together this long, as sometimes being in love is not simply enough, and those three things are ...
1. Communication ... we talk all the time and still enjoy each others company.
2. A sense of humor ... the ability to laugh with, and not being offended when laughed at, and being able to lighten up the conversation at times with some humor, and even trying at times to find a lighter side, when times did not always seem very bright.
3. Leaving the religion ... for with that religion, we were never able to be us. We learned who we really were in this world, when we took the time to release the elements of fear, control and pressure that held us back.
One thing I admit, and I say it with pride. I did not know my spouse very well when I got married, as we did the quick meet, engagement and wedding day that is the pattern of a lot of Witnesses. Yet in this life, I realize my best choice was in marrying this stranger, because now they are now my best friend.
Oh ... and this is the one day, Witnesses can actually celebrate, so we actually got cards from the Witnesses side.