For better for worse — for richer for poorer — in sickness and in health — embedded in marriage vows is the medieval wheel of fortune. There is an acknowledgment that marriage (and other loves) are not perfect. You can love someone without loving them the way they may need OR may want to be loved.

I love the photo of after the service. The groom has removed his jacket and he and his wife are walking across a lawn accompanied by their smallest attendants. They have begun the reentry into ordinary time where love may now be less intense but more sustainable. After the honeymoon comes the most important skill-set for the rest of life: forgiveness.