What's the secret to a long marriage?

For those of us who love antique and vintage objects, we pay a lot of attention to how to preserve a beautiful old patina, how to store old books, how to properly polish silver, how to gently pack away antique dolls, etc. But, all of those old objects combined pale in comparison to the love of our life. It's one thing to make an object last a lifetime. But, what about a marriage or a long term relationship? How do we keep it beautiful? 

The couple in this video has been married 83 years. Mayme explains what has made her marriage to Clarence last so long. According to Mayme, a long term marriage requires patience, admitting when you're wrong, and never walking away from a disagreement in anger (which would cause one to hold a grudge). They also never argued in front of the children.

Maybe while we are polishing up our favorite antique pieces, or carefully putting them away, we should ponder that the person we love the most should be treated with just as much patience, and even more love and care. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Than you to GTN16RWSCC for posting this video on YouTube about The Vails, who had one of the longest marriages in the world. According to Wikipedia's list of the people with the longest marriage, I was sad to see that Clarence passed away last year. Their marriage will forever continue on in memory and in spirit though. Their anniversary is February 18th.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_the_longest_marriage