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Posted on May 25, 2012

28 valuable lessons from 28 years of marriage

This Sunday – May 27th – Lori and I celebrate our 28th wedding anniversary. We have been truly blessed with a special relationship.

Over the years many people would make nice comments about how we interact so well, listen to and respect each other, and simply enjoy each other’s company. We thought it was normal and that every couple had this kind of relationship.

Now we have come to know that what we have is not so common.

Thankfully, there are other married couples that share a similar type of special relationship. We rejoice when we can meet them. Others we simply observe. And then there are some who have written books. We love to learn from them all.

Our mission now is to share what we have learned, and provide a venue for what others have learned, so that we can all preserve the good parts and continue to grow in our marriages.

So for today, Lori and I would like to share 28 valuable lessons that we have learned in our 28 years of marriage, drawing on the 423 values defined in my e-book.

28 Valuable Lessons

  1. The anticipation of affection.
  2. The awareness of abundance.
  3. The bliss of belonging.
  4. The capability of creativity.
  5. The comfort of connectedness.
  6. The discipline of determination.
  7. The effectiveness of encouragement.
  8. The fiber of faith.
  9. The flexibility for fun.
  10. The freedom of forgiveness.
  11. The goodness of giving.
  12. The happiness of humor.
  13. The honor of hope.
  14. The impact of insight.
  15. The longevity of love.
  16. The mindfulness of meekness.
  17. The openness to optimism.
  18. The potency of perseverance.
  19. The power of prayer.
  20. The quality of quietness.
  21. The rewards of recognition.
  22. The significance of support.
  23. The strength of sacrifice.
  24. The surprise of silliness.
  25. The trustworthiness of teamwork.
  26. The understanding of unity.
  27. The value of vision.
  28. The wisdom of willingness.

Not surprisingly we discovered more. But we decided 28 lessons were enough to reflect on at this special milestone.  We’ll add to this list in the coming years.

So….

How many of these lessons resonate with you?

What else would you add?

 

4 Comments

  1. Antonia Matthews May 25, 2012

    Robert – congratulations to you and Lori on 28 great years of marriage! All the best.

    • Robert May 25, 2012

      Thanks so much, Antonia!

  2. Dave Snider May 25, 2012

    Great list. We will have been married 45 years this November. I could not come up with a better list but would like to add one.

    The ability to forget.

    Helps us sort out what it really important. I would also say that the old adage ‘don’t go to bed on an argument” is possibly the worst advice ever.

    Two reasons 1) when it is late and one or both of you are tired, you’re much more likely to say something hateful that you truly regret and 2) most of the things you argue about are not nearly as important the next morning – you may even forget what it was.

    • Robert May 25, 2012

      Great addition, Dave. And some great advice. Thanks for sharing.