5 Key Traits of Long-Term Loving Couples

From website: marsvenusliving.com 

Lasting love? It comes from ongoing and growing respect, commitment, and passion.

In an age where cynics are celebrated and optimists are pushed to the back of the line, it's easy to forget that there are millions of couples in America-and around the world-who are this year celebrating their 25th, 35th, 50th, and even 60th wedding anniversaries.

Surveys continue to reveal that in spite of the cynicism and waves of doubt in the face of high divorce rates, nearly 90 percent of us hope that our own relationship will be one of happily ever after - in which we meet one special someone and build a relationship that lasts a lifetime.

These are couples that have learned the beauty of building a relationship that grows closer with each passing year. So, how have they accomplished this?

Five Key Traits of Long-term Loving Couples

Lasting love is always a work in progress. And no couple is too old to learn. That said, here are five key traits of long-term loving couples:

1. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Holding in your concerns is no way in which to live your life - let alone a life you share with someone you love. Feel free to talk through your issues. Just remember to do so without casting blame, or when you are angry. The goal: coming to a consensus that satisfies you both.

2. Lead with the love in your heart. You can rationalize almost any action, but the best case scenario is that you don't let petty differences or your ego stand in the way of what you know is right for you and your loved one. By keeping an open heart, you allow yourself to hear the concerns of the one you respect most - and to act in both your interest.

3. Do things together, but keep separate interests as well. True and lasting love does not mean you have to be joined at the hip. By having different hobbies, different friends, and different needs, you keep your relationship fresh for both of you. When you catch up on your day, you fall in love all over again.

4. Practice patience. Each of us moves at our own pace. If you feel your partner is falling behind or wandering off into left field, take a deep breath and try to see it from his or her perspective. Remember you both come at the situation from different angles. Can you gain insight from your loved one's point of view? It's certainly worth considering...

5. Live the commitment of "for better or worse, in sickness and in health." With age comes fragility and the increasing possibility of illness. When you're young and in love, that is the furthest thing from your minds. Your mutual love and respect won't change how you feel for each other, but the trauma associated with illness can bring up unresolved issues. This is all the more reason to be candid with each other at each stage of your lives together. A life well loved is a life well lived. And the bonds that love builds over the years will fortify our spirits as age diminishes our physical vitality.

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God bless your family and your marriage.

Jim Stephens