Marriage to Last a Lifetime

America's longest married couple, John and Ann Betar

Have you seen the story of America's longest married couple? They'll be celebrating their 81st wedding anniversary today, Nov 25! It's a really inspiring story of love and loyalty, something every couple can learn from. Asked for some marriage advice, John has this to say: " The key is to always agree with your wife." He adds, "Get along. Compromise. Live within your means and be content. And let your wife be the boss."


Des and I have had a lot of disagreements in the past, from silly and petty things to life-changing arguments that pretty much define our relationship. Through those fights some of it shouldn't have lasted longer than it had if only one of us gave in for what the other wanted. for some, there should never have been any fight at all if my stupid pride completely surrendered to her.

The thing is I love winning and I never back down. But slowly, I'm starting to learn that our relationship isn't a contest. We are a team and we're on this together. The enemy is not each other, but all the follies life throws at us. Being with her really taught me how to be sensitive and stop being self-centered. My take away on John's advice is that I should really be more considerate of her in any situation. There are a lot of growing pains in being together, but looking at the big picture, making her feel that you care about her and you're willing to give in to her make for a happy and fulfilling life together. Relationships require more from us than we probably wanted to give. But once you realize you found the one you want to spend your life with, you'd be willing to give everything you have.

Trust me, I know because I just found mine.