I was saddened and completely stunned when the news flashed on the screen: former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, are separating after 40 years of marriage. Politico broke the news first and covered it here.

While I didn’t vote for Gore in 2000, his marriage always struck me as very real. Kiss or no kiss, the Gores’ relationship seemed like a solid and stable one – not a sham as some political marriages are eventually exposed to be.

Without casting aspersions on the Gores – because that’s not the point of this post – I hope this news serves as a wakeup call to those of us who have made “until death do us part” commitments.

Marriage is hard work. (Especially if, like me, you married up!) I am exceedingly blessed to be closing in on ten years with my wonderful wife. I’ve made innumerable mistakes along the way, but through our commitment to each other, our faith, and the support of our families, we have built a marriage that we are both working to make last a lifetime. And given that we got married at 22 and 20, we intend to celebrate 50 years together – and beyond!

That will only happen if we both invest in our marriage and work on it every day.

It was a sad day yesterday for the Gores, but don’t let that stop you from striving for 40 or 50 or 60 years with the person you’ve made a lifelong commitment to. I’m convinced it’s worth it.

Photo Credit: Jodi Cobb