Marriage Success and Smelly Shoes
Posted on October 11, 2007
Filed Under Marriage
It seems that many of the married couples Dena and I have known through the years who make it - have successful marriages that are loving and mutually fulfilling - have some common traits. Those include good communication patterns, honesty and transparency, respect and appreciation for each other, and some shared interests that draw them together.
We’ve also known some folks who were lacking significantly in a few (or all!) of those traits. Some have divorced, others have been close to breaking up.
We don’t have a perfect marriage (who does?), but I’m really fortunate to have a great wife. Dena is loving, patient and loyal. She is fun, spontaneous and attractive in many, many ways. And one of her best traits is that she cannot stand to let conflict go unresolved.
If we’ve had “a tussle,” as Dr. Dobson might describe it, I am content to wait things out sometimes. Cool down, re-assess and then address the matter. Not Dena. Any tensions in our relationship have to be dealt with as soon as possible. That’s good, because we’ve developed a pattern of conflict resolution and conversation that prevents things from festering and becoming really contentious. Still, we’ve had a few “incidents” that showed us how serious unresolved issues can seriously damage our relationship.
Today’s broadcast guests have quite a story, about how they persevered through some exceptional challenges. It should encourage every married couple to work on the basics, and to cling to hope when times get tough.
Check out the web extras, including plenty of audio and some articles. This special clip is about smelly shoes.
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