A relationship is bigger than 2 people

When I first heard the expression that "marriage is bigger than two people", I didn't agree. After all isn't it the couple who had to put all the love and effort into the relationship?

But now I see things differently. Not only is marriage bigger than two people, but relationships are bigger than two people too. This really become clear to me today.

My sis had dated the same guy for 7 years. Over that time, he became more than just Cassandra's boyfriend. He became part of the family. He was like a brother to me. An uncle to my two kids. We loved him.

And when they started having problems, it hurt more than just my sister. It hurt all of us to see the two people we cared about so much in pain. Then they split up. Something we doubted would ever happen. And then we started to realize the truth of their relationship. We realized how disillusioned we were about this person we had welcomed into our fold. And it hurt. It's hard to let go of someone you care about. It's harder when you find out that they weren't you thought they were or who you wanted them to be.

But time passes and hurt feelings heal. And I find myself ready to open up my heart to the new guy. The new guy is actually fantastic. It wasn't until she started dating J. that I realized how long it had been since I'd seen my sister happy. I mean really happy. J. just fits with my sister. He also fits in with the rest of us. Which is important...because a relationship is bigger than two people after all.