Happily ever after is arguably one of the most controversial terms. In a way, it creates both a connotation of doubt and cynicism, as well as hope and desire. As a modern day society, people often meet the words “happily ever after” with an eye roll or shoulder shrug because of the betrayal it has left in some people’s lives. Like many generations in the past, millenials were told stories that ended in “happily ever after,” but as they have grown up in a world of divorce, separation and disappointment, they pose the question on whether or not it is something that truly exists

Some people wait a lifetime to uncover the mysteries of love, where others discover its power from a young age. Young love can do one of two things: beat a heart or break it. They were one’s first taste of love, the first chapter of one’s book, and in some rare cases, they became the last. High school sweethearts are people who have uncovered the vast possibilities of love from a young age. They know what it means to love themself because they have found that love within another person.

“True love is loving someone fearlessly, passionately, intimately and spiritually,” Antioch alumna and high school sweetheart Angela Brose said. “Connecting with your partner in their successes and failures while loving unconditionally is true love.”

It’s hard to believe from an outside perspective whether or not high school sweethearts will have their happily ever after together. Throughout high school, teens are trying to fill the shoes that one day will walk the real world. This questions whether they truly understand the meaning of love at that age. This generation has a difficult time grasping what it means to love someone the way it used to be in the past.

“People didn’t believe that we would stay together,” Mark Brose said. “Our love for each other kept growing stronger as we beat the odds and are still together and happy 19 years later.”

The words “I love you” get thrown around so frequently that it tends to get lost in translation; however, at the right time with the right person, one can uncover the true meaning of love. The meaning of love has power to affects people of all ages. Happily ever after sounds like the end to a fairytale, but in reality, it is the beginning to new life. A new life of everlasting happiness with the one they love.

“We had created and shared our daughter whom was our biggest accomplishment,” Brose said. “Each day, I watched his dedication, passion and work ethic for our little family. When he kneeled down with our daughter in his arms, I saw the love he had for us and I knew he would be my happily ever after.”