A CHERISHING KIND of LOVE

Dressed up for a friend's wedding

CHERISH: to hold dear :to feel or show affection for :to cultivate with care :to appreciate :to nurture.

This is a lovely word.

My husband and I have a little saying, "If we don't cherish each other who will?"

We have been married for many years and have grown so close to each other. This is for many reasons.

We appreciate each others' differences. We respect and build up each other. We are kind to each other. And invariably when we have disagreements, as all couples do, we make sure to ask each others' forgiveness when we have been wrong.

These deliberate actions cement the bonds of marriage in ways that passion alone never could. Most of all we have discovered that the closer we get to God the closer we come to each other and the more love continues to grow.

The Holy Bible sums this up beautifully. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always, protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.(I Corinthians, chapter 13.)

Cherish your loved ones ... you won't have them forever.

RECIPE for HAPPINESS

In our local paper I read about a couple who had been married for many years and had just celebrated their wedding anniversary.

Mr Leo Antich had some advice for young couples. He said, The key to a successful relationship is to understand each other and be able to compromise.

That sounded like some very wise words. In my kitchen I have a plaque with similar thoughts and I'd like to share it with you:

 RECIPE  FOR  HAPPINESS

Two heaping cups of Patience,  One heartful of Love, Two handfuls of Generosity,

One headful of Understanding , and a dash of Humour.

Sprinkle with Kindness, Add plenty of Faith and mix well.

Spread over a Period of a Lifetime and serve to everyone you meet.

I'd like to add this saying: A married relationship can be like a triangle. The two base points are man and wife, with God at the top. The closer each comes to God the closer they come to each other.

Try a Little Kindness

It amazes me the way some married couples fall into a mean relationship. That is, finding fault with each other. Harping on small things that irritate. Constant "put downs". Plain discourtesy and outright anger & blame if things don't go according to plan.

The modern name for this is verbal abuse. Sad, sad, sad for a couple who promised to love and cherish each other. So where did it all go wrong for them?

Like anything else it begins with the little things and escalates. In some cases it becomes a cold war. In others it's a case of an outright battle which turns things even uglier.

It often begins when nobody remembers to say"sorry". A successful marriage is truly one where there are two good forgivers. A little kindness and understanding goes a l-o-n-g way. And it has to start with one partner even if the knock-backs continue. How can you stay mad at someone who doesn't retaliate? And it's a fact that if one feels guilt about someway they've wronged the other, they give their partner a rough time to try and drag them down to the same level.

God has been left completely out of this relationship. It's time for one or both to realize this and turn to Him to change things for the better. And as each grow closer to God, it's like the sides of a triangle, they grow closer to each other. As the Bible counsels us..."Be kind and tenderhearted to one another."