Is Anything Forever?

I say a resounding "YES!" There are things in this world that are and should be and definitely could be forever. Material things are not forever and they shouldn't be; you shouldn't feel they are either. Anything materialistic can and most likely will be replaced. Jobs don't last forever, cars don't last forever, money doesn't last forever- you know what I mean. In the society we live in now, marriage doesn't seem to last forever either. I'm not some crazy nut that thinks no one should get divorced. Sometimes you're better off ending what has turned into a toxic relationship. However, I find that most people these days just give into temptation too easily and give up. I hear the words "sex addiction" going around in the media quite a bit. I completely believe that this is an illness just like alcoholism or any other addiction. What I don't understand is why it takes either 17 or 18 different times of cheating on your significant other or carrying on another relationship for years before realizing, "Hey, I might be an addict." With every other kind of addict, we see the signs and we try to help. Why don't these sex addicts want help for their relationships too? Or is it just more fun to sneak around, cheat, and then say, "I'm an addict." Who knows? I am in a committed relationship with a man that I have known since I was 13-years-old. We have been married for 22 years this year. Before I married him, as a teenager, I got pregnant and married someone else and gained two beautiful children from that relationship. It ended very badly, however, I was able to raise my kids alone and eventually commit to a real relationship with someone who had been a life long friend. To my ex-husband, you are not a very nice person. You were physically abusive, mentally abusive, and eventually, you just abandoned your own children. To you, I want to say thank you. When I came out at the other side of that relationship, I was strong, independent, and had two great kids that I never had to share with someone who would have probably done more damage than good. I hope your life is everything you wanted it to be, because mine is. My husband and I do not live in total bliss, and we don't feel that life is just miracles and beauty. It's what we strive for, but it just doesn't happen that way- we're human. The difference with us is that when we got married, we made a committment to each other that goes way beyond husband and wife. There are many people in my life that I really do love but cannot share my time with because the relationship is too strained. When this happens, I remove myself from the relationship and I take what is called a "time-out". I went through many years not having a relationship with my own mother but I can now say with complete and total confidence that I always loved her. The same goes for my siblings that I do not have a relationship with right now. I have four kids that I love very much and we fight, and we may even stop speaking for a short time; but we always love each other. That's the same with my husband. When we fight and we say terrible things and we think we might actually just kill each other, we still love each other. When you argue with your child, they are forever your child. When you argue with your husband, does he have to be replaced? Your child wouldn't be replaced. Should your husband, or wife for that matter? Going back to what is forever, committment is forever. It may change, but when two people decide to enter a committment and have children, the committment they made to each other should be forever. It could definitely change, and they may have to become committed friends and co-parents, but the committment should still be there. Anyone that does otherwise, is an ass hole.