Clarification...

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I get the feeling that some of you may have gotten the wrong idea from my last few posts. So I want to make some things crystal clear.

I have not now, nor ever, said or implied that sex is the most important part of a marriage. I see it as one link in a long chain of things that are all vital parts of a successful marriage. Things like companionship. Always having someone there to share life's experiences with. Having someone take care of you when your sick, and likewise some one to take care of when their not feeling well. Having an emotional supporter. Someone to pick you up and dust you off, and tell you everything is going to be OK. Someone to share your hopes and dreams with. Someone who truly feels like another half of yourself. Like you are incomplete without them.

All of these and more are just as important to me as sex. Each, a link in a chain. A chain, that would break without any one of them. At this point in my life, I can't imagine a marriage without all the links. Maybe some day I'll think different. Who knows, people change over time. I'm sure, if you asked a married couple in their seventies, they would have a completely different list of links. Every one's needs are different. That doesn't make them right or wrong, just different.

There is one link that I feel rates above all the others. A master link, if you will. One that all others must be built on, and that is HONESTY.

There is one major difference, though, between sex and all the other links in the chain. Sex is the only need that can only be filled by your spouse. You can get emotional, physical, and financial support from family, friends and neighbors. Hell, I've even gotten some emotional support from my boss. But your need for sex has to be filled completely at home, with the one you love.

So call me what you will. Sex maniac. Pervert. I don't care. I am not willing to accept a marriage without ALL the links in the chain.