In a world where divorce is so common, it's nice to hear about success stories in marriage. Whenever I meet a couple that is out celebrating their anniversary I feel happy for that couple and proud of their accomplishment. However, the couple I am most proud of is my parents.

They have been married for 30 years now. In this day and age, that is pretty much unheard of. I work in a small town, so pretty much everyone knows my parents. I get comments all the time about how in love they are. And I couldn't agree more.

Growing up I always had an awesome couple to look up to. I'm not saying they didn't fight or have hard times in their marriage, just that they were always there for one another. I could tell from an early age that I wanted to be in a marriage where I was respected and loved.

Not every child has that great example to look up to. Sadly, a lot of marriages end in divorce and leave children wondering if there is ever hope for them to find love in the future. The truth is, not everyone's marriage will work out, and adults simply cannot stay together to give off the allusion of love. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

Many of the people in my generation and a generation above have a cynical view of marriage because they have seen it fail more often than succeed. I feel bad for them. I have been able to watch my parents love each other my whole life and I'm excited about marriage because of it! I wish everyone had at least one couple like that in their lives.

I know how I deserve to be treated because I watched my dad treat my mom the same way. And I know how I should treat my partner because I watched my mom.

Their love has not only inspired me but other people as well. My best friend has shared with me that she watched them and always wanted a love like that as well. People from around my hometown are constantly telling me how great they are together. After 30 years people are still noticing how much they love each other! Now that is an accomplishment; something to be proud of!

So, thank you, mom and dad. For showing me that relationships won't always end in heartbreak. For showing me that you get what you put into relationships and eventually marriage.