A Marriage Creed

Love is the strongest and most fulfilling emotion possible

It lets you share your goals, your desires, your experiences

It lets you share your life with someone

It lets you be yourself with someone who will always support you

It lets you speak you innermost feelings to someone who understands you

It lets you feel tenderness and warmth – a wholeness that avoids loneliness

Love lets you feel complete

But in order to have a successful love relationship

you must make a strong commitment to each other and love

and you must do and feel everything within your mind and body

to make this commitment work.

You must be happy with yourself and you must understand yourself before you can expect someone else to be happy with you or to understand you.

You must be honest about yourself and each other at all times

And not hold any feelings back.

You must accept each other the way you are and not try to change each other.

You must be free to grow as individuals yet share your life as one

but not live you life through each other.

You must follow what societal roles tell you to do.

You must follow the philosophy that men and women are equal

and not treat either person with inferiority in any way.

You must be together always in your heart but not necessarily always in your activities.

You must be proud of each other and love

and not be ashamed to show your sensitive feelings.

You must treat every day spent with each other as special

and not take each other or your love for granted.

You must spend time talking with each other every day and not be too busy with outside events that you are too tired for each other.

You must understand each other's moods and feelings and not hurt each other intentionally but if your frustrations are taken out on each other

you must both realize that it is not a personal attack.

You must be passionate with each other often and not get into boring patterns.

You must continue to have fun and excitement with each other

and not be afraid to try new things.

You must always work at love and your relationship

and not forget how important this relationship is or what you would feel like without it.

Love is the strongest and most fulfilling emotion possible.

You will be living your dreams between awakenings

if you culminate your commitment to love with marriage.

~  Susan Polis Schutz