It’s easy to get discouraged in our current political climate. When the news is dominated by travel bans, bias attacks and chaos in our nation’s capital, it’s hard to find a silver lining.
As news hounds, however, we’ve noticed that one thing people love is love — and we’re following that lead.
This week, PGN is running our semi-annual Wedding Issue, highlighting the love stories of local couples. From engagements to weddings to anniversaries, the happy folks who wanted to share their journeys with us all have a distinct story. Some met decades ago, weathering the years when being a same-sex couple was dramatically less accepted than it is now, while others navigated modern challenges like online dating. Some of them dove right into relationships and others took it slow. Some were hesitant to walk the aisle and others couldn’t wait to say “I do.”
What they all share, though, are a few lessons we could all use right about now: perseverance and optimism.
The couples all told stories of ups and downs, fights and foibles. But they all believed in something so strongly — their love for one another — that they made it through to the other side.
Successfully navigating those challenges instilled in all of the couples a sense of hope for the future. They had seen that times could be bad, but that they always got better. They learned how to navigate that transition, pitfalls to avoid and ways to keep themselves motivated.
Powering through with an eye toward the future is what this country needs to be doing right now. There’s a lot that we as citizens can’t control right now, but there’s also much that we are able to effect.
As the couples we spoke with showed us, challenges within our control can and should be confronted; doing so lets us live in more genuine relationships and shows us our strength. From difference and division can come new understanding and strengthened resolve.
If the last few months have shown progress-loving Americans anything, it’s that we’re not alone. That was a reality that helped our wedding couples through the toughest of times — and will continue to help us persevere through the rough times ahead.