DEAR ABBY: The letter from "Mother of 10" was intriguing. She wrote that after being married 30 years, she told her son that whenever her husband walked into the room, she could still feel her heart lift. Her son said it was only infatuation. I would like to relate my experience.
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In August 1970, I met the woman I later married. She walked into a room to join the group I was in, and when I saw her, my heart skipped a couple of beats. I never said, "This is the woman for me," but she had an effect on me. There she quietly sat with her ankles crossed and her hands in her lap -- a perfect lady.
It took me three months to build up the courage to ask her out. We became engaged at Christmas 1976 and were married 13 months later. It was the best thing I ever did.
When we go to bed at night and I feel her warm body next to mine, I get all excited. When we wake up in the morning and she snuggles up under my arm and rests her head on my chest, it is the greatest feeling in the world. Every once in a while, I can't let go, and we stay wrapped in each other's arms for as long as 45 minutes. She calls it "recharging our batteries."
Abby, if this is infatuation, I can't wait to see what real love is like. My heart won't be able to handle it. -- PETER KENNEDY, HACKENSACK, N.J.
DEAR PETER: It seems you found a soul mate when this lady walked into your life. One of the distinguishing characteristics of true love is that it grows, because it is unselfish and based on sharing. Infatuation is only the "sizzle." It snaps and sputters, but it doesn't last. You've got the real thing.