On 17 January this year we celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary. It sounds like a big number but yet it feels less than a decade.
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
John 15:12
Two kids later, career changes, sickness, health, a house we made our home for 22 years and plenty of lessons along the way. I cannot imagine these experiences with anyone else.
I’m writing this article in celebration of many couples hard at work on their relationships. I cannot pin point the secret to a long lasting marriage but I do know we all have our ups and downs and work extremely hard to stay happy. So far our journey has been filled with quite a bunch of lovely experiences and I can safely say that we are in a happy space.
Let me give credit where it is due, In good or bad, Mario has been the person I’ve turned to for over 22 years and whose presence alone gives me great delight.
And now these three remain: Faith, Hope and Love
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
As the years have gone by, we’ve learned a few key lessons that have helped us grow together in love and patience.
- Communicate with God “PRAY“
He is the only one who knows our hearts. Kneel in prayer and supplication as with thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known to Him who strengthens you. Without having God as the center of our lives I believe that we would never make it this far.
- Communicate with each other
Constant communication was one of the first things Mario vowed to do before we even started our union as husband and wife. Share the good and bad and find ways to improve all the time. Communicating with one another sets a tone of kindness and willingness to mend the situation and hurt that is or could be triggered.
- Make time
For so many years we’ve had the tradition of having a date night on a weekly basis. We might have missed some of these along the decades but this should be a definite must in every relationship. Our date nights are anything in between being fancy and not-so-fancy but it is the one night that we look forward to especially and do something soothing even just catching up and reconnecting given the fact that our weeks are so busy.
- Being You
Imagine how important this factor is. It brings about so much happiness and contentment with who you really are in a marriage. In the beginning of our relationship we had some struggles with the two different personalities clashing but soon enough we started accepting and respecting each other for who we are and that alone brings joy and serenity.
- Laugh
His laughter was the main attraction for me and the funniest thing is that he laughs at his own repeated tales all the time!
