Forty-five years ago, I married Denise Louise Drake. She and I met at our dorm at Duke. She was 18 and I was 19.
For six years I resisted the idea of marriage. While I loved her, I did not see the need to have the state, or a church bless our love. After a while I began to see the joy of expressing your commitment to someone, for the rest of your life, in front of a gathering of friends and family. A church/state blessing added to the depth of the moment. Plus, given the desire for kids it is not a bad move.
Denise is my best friend, my lover, the mother of our three daughters, and my confidant. In ways that are unfathomable and indescribable she and I have become one.
Marrying her was the smartest thing I have ever done. The second smartest decision would have been to get a haircut before the wedding ceremony.