Love is Work

I adore what Oscar Wilde says,

Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and a richness to life that nothing else can bring.

Today I've been feeling that people throw themselves in and out of love entirely too carelessly; and not only love, but marriage. It seems like the trend is to marry on a whim and, hey, if it doesn't work or I get tired of you, we'll just divorce. That makes me so sad... To be completely separated from someone you loved once must be like being burried alive. Love is a beautiful, fragile thing and that has to be tended to on a daily basis. 

I know that I'm a young bride and all and I don't really know the first thing about marriage, but I know that I live with the best example known to man. My parents are the happiest people I know and even though they've been together twenty-odd years, they still have that spark. I'm blessed to have the parents I do, but my mom has taught me that it isn't easy having a happy marriage.

She tells me marriage is just like any other job. There are days when you love it and there are days when you want to give up. But you can't quit because you know that's what is holding you together at the end of the day. Love is a choice. You won't keep the dreamy "I am so in love with you, darling" feeling every day. Some days you won't like him, but on those days you have to take a deep breath and decide to always be in love with him. You have to know that that man is your stronghold, even on his bad days. You always have to work on your marriage. You don't just say "I do" and then expect life to be cupcakes and rainbows. Be open, honest. Take time to actually talk. And to keep the spark, flirt! But the most useful thing, and the one that always echos in my mind-

Never go to bed angry. Stay up and fight. 

I believe that's the most important thing. Always make sure every arguement is dissolved before it has the chance to escalate into something more. Dr. Phil (yeah, I know) says that to keep his woman happy he makes sure he does one little thing every day to make her life easier, even if it's just making the bed.

Well Bloggers, that's my thought for today. I don't know how much sense I've made but I hope some. Take time to love the one you're with!

Do you have any marriage advice for me? What works for you and your hubby?