who's your buddy?

lately, while talking with some of my coworkers, i realized one of the key ingredients of a happy marriage: friendship. the three teachers i talked with are not, well, marriage's biggest fan. they were talking about always going in separate directions than their spouses... not talking to their spouses... feeling more comfortable around other people than their spouses. so finally i asked, "is your husband/wife your friend?" They all said no. wow. I can still remember a college friend telling me she loved my parents because they seemed like they were truly "friends" - I brushed it off, not realizing that significance of that statement. After all, my parents were all I knew of marriage - I was ignorant to anything else. But after my enlightening conversation the other day, I saw my dad in the hallway at school and I asked him, "Dad, is Mom your friend?" He looked at me, without question, and said, "Yes. My best friend." That's what I thought.
Lust goes away. Passion goes away. Love may even go away. But friendship will keep a couple together. When I decide to marry someone, I want to marry my best friend.