“Love always Wins”
I saw that particular phrase on a banner on my daily walk to/from work, and my first thought was . . “not in Tennis”.

I hate absolutes. Maybe its because only Siths deal in absolutes (according to Obi-Wan). But nothing is absolute. Death and Taxes? Not if you believe in a: Frankenstein, b: zombies and c: Jeff Bezos.

I prefer “Love usually Wins”. My wife and kids are a good example of this for me. Rarely do I win any disagreement with my wife because, well, I love her and in the end, I usually end up doing what she wants. (She knows she has this power, by the way.) My son seems to have won as well, with a beautiful, smart and devoted wife, an amazing little daughter, and a pretty good job now that he’s (FINALLY) out of college. OK, full disclosure, he’s not really “OUT” of college . . . he’s now teaching at ISU so, technically . . .
But the really “Love Winner” is my darling Daughter. As I write this, we are preparing for her wedding to a great young man. And love really has won out, because there have been a number (OK . . LOTS) of nay-sayers about this relationship and the speed at which it advanced to this point. Alot of other couples might have given in to the pressure, or allowed it to damage the relationship. Not these two. They KNOW they are meant for each other. They compliment each other (not “you look good today, what’s different” kinda complement). They are the Yin & Yang of relationships. His strengths are her weaknesses and vice-versa. And they balance each other out. WE should all be THAT lucky. And even though I’ve had my concerns and trepidations like any good father would, I’ve been cheering them on and supporting them as much as I can. Otherwise I’d be a hypocrite. I asked my wife (well, she wasn’t at the time) to marry me on our second date. When you know that person is THE ONE, why wait? Buy low . . .sell High. Lock in the bargain. Obviously in my case, the bargain was incredibly one-sided, but then again, she’s the one who can “save us money” by spending it, so her fiscal prowess has always be in question. But I got quite a deal, and it has yielded dividends over and over again for 36 year. I wish my 401K would do that. And that is my prayer, my hope, and yeah, my expectation for these two young people. Maybe they’ll prove me wrong . . .
And Love will Always Win.