I have exgirlfriends that I don't hold love for anymore. Not because of terribly breakups, but because after growing up, I see the relationships for what they were...adolescent coupling and attempts to explore the world of love. I've also had a girlfriend pass away in an auto accident while we were dating. That was much more difficult to analyze because we were in love when it happened, so we didn't have a final note to define our relationship by. I do think of her with love in my heart, but I also understand that we were young and odds indicate that we wouldn't have ended up together in the long run...but I'll never know. There's always that nagging question "what if".

I love Mrs. WI. She is a beautiful person, a wonderful wife and mother, and a yin to my yan. (OMG...I'm Yan! Anyone else remember that cooking show "Yan can cook" ?) The experiences I've had in past relationships have probably had their effect (positive and negative) on our marriage, but they're learning experiences...not relationship hurdles.

I also deeply feel that I can love another without diminishing the love I have for my wife. I guess it all boils down to how each person thinks, feels and acts when they're presented with the situation.

__________________
Though I am different from you,
We were born involved in one another.

For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.

Complete surrender should not just come at moments in which one faces overwhelming odds, but in the calm when it seems one is personally in complete control of one's life.