So, it’s Valentine’s day and there is definitely a splash of red everywhere in South Africa and around the world on the day of love.
Perfect love
When people will be wooing their loved ones with roses, chocolate and even a romantic night out on Valentine’s Day, some may be considering what the ideal partner will be for them.
Is it blonde hair and blue eyes, a brunette with green eyes or a stunning African beauty with satin skin and dark eyes?
For me, it’s always been a person’s character.
To those who don’t believe me, I will admit that looks are important, but they are part of the many ingredients that make up the perfect pair for me.
Marriage
I have been married before and it took a second try to really appreciate and experience what true love is.
Sometimes you make mistakes and don’t get it right the first time, maybe because of pressure from your parents or your married friends.
My husband and I were made for each other, but we didn’t know it at the time.
He was in another country, while I was in South Africa and we didn’t know that we were with each other, but I thought the marriage was destined.
Also read: Valentine’s Day does not define love
Struggle
However, it took a lot of pain, struggle and a long road filled with sorrows and thorns to get here.
When I told my friend in Turkey about our love story, he said it would make a best-selling book or a big movie.
As much as I want to elaborate on our fate, it might take forever to tell all the details.
If you watch South African movies Free StateYou will probably get an idea of the journey my wife and I traveled to get where we are.
The film tells the story of love wars, oppression and racism as a white woman and an Indian man start a forbidden love affair during apartheid.
While my husband and I did not face the horrors of the apartheid era, we had enormous challenges including prejudices from Indians, Muslims, whites and other communities in our marriage.
We don’t even have the perfect wedding that many brides dream of. We were married in my mother’s lounge with only a few people. Others refused to come and avoided our union for years until my husband’s character proved that love transcends color and prejudice.
Even his children were not helped. But I must say that falling in love is magic and love knows no color or race.
destiny
All married couples have arguments and fights, sometimes bitter ones. But my husband and I cannot live without each other. It’s because we know how hard it is to get where we are.
It is the ingredient that keeps us together. The experience and intensity of our meeting and the blossoming flower of our love has settled in my heart.
While trying to get the perfect partner is like finding a needle in a haystack, it can be heaven on earth when you find someone you want to spend the rest of your life with.
You may not get it right the first time, but if you find perfect love, which is the essence of what makes a perfect partner, you will realize that love goes beyond physical beauty.
Marriage
A successful married life is not when you can live in harmony with your spouse, but when you cannot live peacefully without love.
With marriage and commitment, comes peace, love and compassion.
So, as you fall in love with your partner on Valentine’s Day, think about what makes them special and why they are the perfect person to share your life with.
Also read: Valentine’s Day: Despite financial woes, the business of emotional turmoil thrives