For better for worse

33 years ago today Sue and I tied the knot. I can vividly picture the snow covered landscape around the village church where our wedding took place. It was so cold, that when the time came for the "happy couple and their friends" photo to be taken, most of our friends had retreated to the comparative warmth of their cars! Though we've been through some really tough times in our marriage, I know that marrying Sue was about the best things I ever did, and I don't regret it for one moment.

On the basis that every relationship, however good it is, can be made better, Sue and I attended a "Marriage Unlocked" seminar in Sheffield last night. It was run by Care For The Family. The two presenters suggested 6 keys to a healthy relationship: 1. Be the best of friends. 2. Keep talking. 3. Argue well. 4. Communicate love. 5. Build intimacy. 6. Choose to love. There was a lot of interesting and thought-provoking stuff in there. I know that I am far from being a perfect husband, and that the old comment "could do better" certainly applies to me.

Of course marriage, like any relationship, can be hard at times. Relationships need commitment and need to be worked at. It was mentioned last night that about 4 out of every 10 UK marriages end in divorce. Whilst that is a really sad statistic, it does mean that 6 out of 10 marriages stand the test of time - surely something to celebrate! Priory, my town centre church, seems to be a church community which sustains marriage. Within the next couple of months we have two couples celebrating their golden wedding anniversary and three couples celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary!

So, 33 years and still going strong! I suppose that I ought to take Sue out to celebrate - I wonder what time the local chippy opens!