Best Marriage Advice EVER!
Over the weekend I returned to my childhood home.
My daughter and I flew from Southern California to Salt Lake City. I hadn’t been back to where I grew up to visit my old friends for more than 30 years.
Thirty years.
Although we stayed in touch with our friend and they visited our new home, it has been a very long time to wait for me to return home.
This weekend we all gathered at my BFF Michelle’s house to celebrate her parent’s 50th wedding anniversary.
Fifty years.
It was a surprise party and boy howdy, what a surprise. Her parents had no idea people were coming from everywhere to honor their life-long commitment to one another.
Hysterical laughter filled the weekend as we recounted our crazy childhood antics. In fact, I was reminded about how I often got the whole gang into trouble of some kind or another due to my mischievous nature and curiosity and wild imagination. Sheesh!
Oh but did we ever have fun. Tons of fun.
Bunch of us on Hike to Big Rock
As I sat on the picnic bench chatting, I moved closer to Rosie, whose wedding anniversary we celebrate. I asked her an important question. I said, “Rosie, you know that I write about marriage, so please tell me, what is the secret to a successful 50 year marriage?”
She grinned, paused, looked me in the eye, and then spoke words of wisdom that will forever lie upon my heart. She said several things make a marriage successful such as patience and perseverance. But what she said next was profound.
She said, “You need a sense of humor.”
And how right she is. Can you imagine how different our lives could be if we choose to laugh instead of criticize? What peace we might obtain if we look for humor in a stressful situation. What would happen in our relationship if we elect to tickle the funny bone instead of feed our anger when accidents happen? We need to laugh at ourselves and laugh along with our spouse and their crazy moments, at circumstances, with our kids…….. at life.
This very day, let’s choose to bring and GIANT sense of humor into our marriages and watch as it displaces disappointment, unforgivness and bitterness.
Rosie & Ev 50 years!
I am one of them.
Laughter can cure many ills, tear down walls and repair what sometimes appears hopeless. Our Lord, is a God of joy and I know He has a sense of humor. Let His grace, love and humor be the glue in your marriage and watch as you also quietly bless those around you and behold the abundant riches which come from a lifetime commitment to your spouse.
Be blessed, Lynn
Find me daily at
Amen, enjoyed this post.
A wonderful devotional Lynn. Such wisdom. There was a season when I wondered if we could ever know joy, let alone laughter, again. The Lord restored both. I know they are important to Him. They lighten the burdens and make even difficult times so much easier.
Amen to that Lynn. I totally agree with Rosie. We do need a sense of humor. There are times of joy and times of famine in a marriage. I am choosing to take not myself too serious 🙂
Great advice!! Laughter is the best medicine!!
Living for Him, Joan
I totally agree with Rosie. My parents have made it to 47 years. My dad always says the key to their marriage is he learned that “A happy wife makes for a happy life.” Thus, he says it is his goal to make sure she laughs every morning before he leaves to work and laughs every evening before they go to bed. They tease and joke around a lot and laughter flows through their home.
However, for my dad it meant more than that. He had been a somewhat “entertain me” kind of man that loved my mom, but did not take the time to show it, as he was more wrapped up in his own wants most of their marriage. When my mom was on the operating table for colorectal cancer he was scared. When he knew the surgery should be over and asked why it was not a nurse told him they found more cancer on the outside of the section of colon they had removed and had to go back in.
For the first time in my life, I heard my dad weep. He literally cried out to God, “Please Lord, you have plenty of angels in heaven already…don’t take my angel. I promise I will spend everyday making sure she knows how much I truly love her. I will never again take her for granted.”
Amazingly, God granted him that desire and my daddy has spent everyday making good on the promise. From what they found at the surgery my mom should have been staged at 4 in her cancer, but when the report came in…she was only at 1 and up until now (10 years later) is has not returned.
And I have never seen my mom happier with my dad! 🙂