~ Marriage Is.... ~

Marriage Is...: Filling in the Rest of the Sentence

1. Not always easy.

2. Sometimes aggravating.

3. About needing to trade places (i.e. putting yourself in your spouse's shoes) from time to time. (Especially helpful to do when they're upset and biting but you're not sure why. Seeing life from their eyes can help figure out what's troubling them, which in turns help you figure out how to best be there for them.)

4. Getting satisfaction not from all your spouse does to make you happy, but from all you do that brings him or her happiness.

5. Adding extra crushed red peppers to the spaghetti sauce and chili to make it hotter than you like to accommodate your spouse's taste buds. (Alternatively, it's leaving out some peppers when you know your spouse prefers a more mild seasoning.)

6. Being comfortable with being vulnerable and trusting your heart to another.

7. Staying healthy and growing old together.

8. Realizing sometimes memory fails and details are lost, but the heart never forgets what's important.

9. Sharing dessert.

10. Picking up the slack when your spouse isn't able to.

11. Being able to both accept and forgive when an "I'm sorry" is offered.

12. Learning how to say "I'm sorry."

13. Saying "I'm sorry" when you don't know why you should have to other than you know it'll help restore harmony.

14. Extending your hand to offer comfort and reassurance when things get tough or scary.

15. Saying what you mean, when you mean it, tactfully and respectfully.

16. Respecting your spouse's opinions, inclinations, and hobbies.

17. Cherishing each married moment.

18. Being able to make each other laugh whether you're rich or poor, having good times or bad, in sickness and in health.

19. Listening more and talking less.

20. Remembering not to get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life. (I see this saying in catalogs all the time for pictures and plaques and stuff. I thought it's message beared repeating.)

Out of the 20 listed items above, I am still struggling to fulfill most of it. All I know I will work so hard to made him know that I love him so much....