When was the last time you sat across from that “special someone” and declared, “Wow, look at us, still together and still happy after all these years?”
When was the last time you looked into the eyes of the partner you have chosen and spoke of the vital significance it has had in your life?
When was the last time you reiterated just how important their respect and caring have been in contributing to your success, to your well-being, to your sense of joy and harmony?
When did you last stop to think of all of the ways in which your life would have crumbled, been left arid and parched without the partner who has declared the love you now enjoy, the love that is not like any other?
To maintain a meaningful relationship of any kind, especially a long-lasting one, deserves celebrating what it takes to do so.
Looking back on a long walk into the world of love that has offered mystery, magic, adventure and tremendous stability, it becomes so clear as to what is required to celebrate a successful union.
Never stop saying, “Please” and “Thank you” for the small, medium and large favors that are everyday gifts.
Never stop encouraging the dreams of another even if they are of a foreign nature to you.
Never allow competition and comparisons to alter the gift of individuality.
Never forget to praise the differences for they amplify the essence of the partnership.
Never try to become one and the same in order to please which may serve only to sacrifice what need not be sacrificed.
Never let a day go by without the declaration of “I love you” for it is the manna that nourishes the soul.
Never take for granted all of the gifts that have become yours as a result of the bonds that have kept you united.
Never allow the toxicity of anger and resentment to be left unattended.
Never allow yourself to forget why you have been brought together even if that time is relatively short in the scheme of things.
And last but never least, never stop the embraces, the touch, the unspoken words of endearment, the declarations that serve as the reminders that without love, respect, trust and tenderness we would certainly die a little bit each day … and how tragic that would truly be.
Marie-Eve S. Kielson
Marriage and Family Therapist
