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7 secrets of a happy marriage : A bishop offers practical wisdom garnered from ministering to and learning from married couples
“Why do some marriages remain forever young, while others grow stale with the passage of time?” What qualities are present in those marriages that thrive both “in good times and in bad?”
1. “A perfect marriage is just two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other.” Every married couple will tell you that their marriage is a work in progress, a partnership between equals, and a relationship that is flawed, imperfect and incomplete.

2. Happy married couples know that marriage needs renewal, refreshment and rejuvenation every day of the year, most especially following the arrival of children. Happy couples never stop courting each other and never take each other for granted. They keep the flames of passion alive in the marriage.

3. “Little things mean a lot.” Simple kindnesses, like a loving glance across a crowded room, a bouquet of flowers for no good reason, a note in a lunch bag, a phone call from afar, etc.

4. Happy couples embody the sobering advice of a noted psychiatrist, who wrote, “Those with whom you choose to remain angry will control you. They will limit you physically, emotionally, and spiritually.” They know that forgiveness emancipates the heart and fills married life with peace.

5. Strong married couples have learned the necessity of flexibility, the art of compromise, the value of resilience, and the benefits that come to those who learn to “go with the flow.”

6. The happily married couples I know share their innermost thoughts with one another and avoid the poison of secret keeping.

7. They are deeply committed to mutual and lasting fidelity as a living reflection of God’s enduring love for us.