Marriage advice

Several things that are going on in my family at this time have caused me to ponder deeply what exactly a "happy marriage" is made of. I look at all of those "old folks" sitting on their porch swings and wonder...if I asked them the secret to how they've made it this far...I wonder what they'd say. Most of the time, they've given me the answer; "lots of hard work" or "lots of patience." But in my own family, people who I thought were hard workers, very capable of loving and being loved...well, things just haven't gone so right for them lately.

Today after church, I did a bit of research, and thanks to the Internet I found a great article posted on Redbookmag.com (yes, the magazine) and found an article entitled "The 9 Secrets of Happy Couples" and would like to share them with you. Most of the time, I consider this magazine and Cosmo along with it, to be fairly slutty and a waste of time to read. However, I was intrigued by this one. So, thanks RedBook for publishing something normal for a chance!

9 Secrets of Happy Couples

1. They use terms of endearment

2. They do stuff together

3. When the going gets tough, they don't call mom or dad

4. They stay connected to their parents

5. They don't "nickel and dime" about chores

6. They fight constructively

7. They give each other gifts

8. They never lose their sense of humor

9. They take "for better for for worse" seriously

And the best quote is this:
"Most couples think they should strive for a relationship that's 50-50, but the fact is, they should each give 150 percent. In good relationships, couples give everything they can. They don't nickel-and-dime each other, and they respect that each person gives different things."

This is something I need to work on...loving my husband, caring for him and taking care of him 150% of the time, and realizing that my opinion isn't the only one that counts. Yes, most of the time I'M right (he he), but sometimes I forget just how blessed I am to have the husband I do have, and I forget to thank him for being my partner for eternity, and the one who I get to grow old with.