The beginning of a relationship is so exciting and fun! You cannot wait to share some of the things you have never shared with each other or anyone else for that matter. It is the way you look at that person or he or she looks at you. It is the special evenings out for a quiet intimate dinner. It is an evening with many others though it seems like it is only the two of you. Or maybe an evening of dancing the night away. It may be a quiet walk through the woods or a walk in the rain with umbrellas bundled together. It is the first time you introduce that special someone to friends and family. It is some of the things you say to one another. These are the things that build memories and it is how your life together will begin.
Anyone who says that they have a perfect relationship is not being honest. You will have disagreements and maybe some difficult times. One way to get through all of this is to remember the qualities that made you initially fall in love with this person. And it is important to always put your partner first. If you always put your partner first you can make your special relationship last for the long term. Each morning of your life, as you wake up, ask yourself ‘What can I do today to make my partner glad that they are married to me?”
It is hard to understand how so many take marriage vows and commit their lives to one another and they have problems and then give up. You can make a commitment to make your relationship work. My husband and I have been married for thirty-seven years. We both have changed during those years and have experienced the problems that all marriages face but we have taken our commitments seriously, have remembered what we each love about the other and have built a happy life together. I can honestly say that I would not change a thing about those years that we have shared with each other, and look forward to many more to come.
You too can share the mature love that comes only after many years of a committed relationship and which is, in many ways, much sweeter and more satisfying than the young, unformed love that is present in the beginning stages of a relationship. All it takes is a commitment to make it happen and a sincere desire to support your partner in their personal growth and development as you share life’s journey together.
-Eileen