After the Milestone

This past weekend we celebrated our Golden Wedding Anniversary!  When you are young and in love you can hardly think past the ceremony and honeymoon - let alone lasting 50 years!  Who can tell you what it takes to live and love with the same man for 50 years until the feat has actually been accomplished.  Well, now I have an answer to that question.  First, you have to have a commitment mentality.  You have to decide that you will stick it out, no matter what (unless it gets dangerous or evil, of course).  And you need to seek God's will and guidance in your choice of prospective mate, so that you are both in agreement on the commitment thing.  It takes 3 to make a marriage last and God is the 3rd person. I think it is still true that, "the family that prays together, stays together."  Next, you need to be supportive of each other, in every way possible.  Strive to put each other first, no matter how hard that sometimes is.  Show love and kindness to each other and if you argue, make up before you retire for the night.  When you are blessed with children, be sure you put each other first and the children second, and all others come next.  This brings security to everyone, especially the children, who will not have to worry about the home breaking up.  Also, it is good to share household duties so that neither one feels put upon.  Together you can decide the division of jobs and don't worry about that 50-50 idea.  Next, be sure to have fun together and have time alone regularly.  And be honest with each other - that saves a lot of arguments!  Make important decisions together and let the other details fall to whoever has the most expertise or interests in those areas.  All these thoughts are just a rough outline of what I think it takes to succeed in a marriage.  How you flesh it out will be unique to each couple, but these are some basics.  Above all, always try to think ahead when troubles arise - working it out is always the best solution and leads to the greatest happiness and contentment.  I will always think that I got the better deal when my sweetheart and I married.  The thing is, he feels like he got the better deal!  Sounds like a win-win situation!  So let's see: commitment, God, prayer, each other first, share the load, enjoy each other, be honest, be loving, be kind, count your blessings - sounds good!  And the 50 years, while not always easy, is worth the effort!
                                                                                                                                                              *Just a random thought:  this getting old is not easy on any score.  Our bodies change, we get tired, we get cranky, but what's inside is still what is important.  Our hearts were knit together all those years ago and they still are - I don't ever want to live without him, and that is what makes 50 years possible and precious.  God desires this kind of marriage and His strength and help is always available.