my mama is a wise woman

Mom's words of advice to a friend on how to keep a marriage running smoothly for 30+ years.

"The first thing is to keep the Lord Jesus the center of your home. He has to be first in each of your hearts, and first in your home. One of the most important things is that we both agreed never to do anything that would lead to ...adultery - no flirting, no having dinner with colleagues, no emotional involvement with someone else. We chose to love each other until death do us part. That means there's NO DIVORCE, and since we both want to be HAPPILY married, we work on the relationship because we have no "back door" - no "way out if it doesn't work out". We did not approach marriage as "trying it out". We married for life. Period. Another important aspect is that we want peace and harmony in our home, so we will do what it takes to have that. We trust each other, and work to make sure we do not act in a manner that would betray our trust. Remember: the #1 thing EACH one of you needs is RESPECT. If you respect each other, you will never do anything to embarrass your partner, but you will uphold, defend, and believe in your spouse, even when no one else does. We are also best friends. I will never tell a girl friend something about my husband that he would not want told. Ron is my best friend, and I have chosen to keep it that way, even when girlfriends tried to get closer to me. Nope - he's my best friend. And, after all these years, we still flirt with each other! :) Hope this helps!"