Marriage happiness is simple. You have to stay connected. Here are a couple of tips to help you Stay Connected.

1) Make every effort to know each other:

…emotionally intelligent couples are intimately familiar with each other’s world… these couples have what Gottman calls a “love map” that gives them connection to each other.  They remember and celebrate the important facts from the present and the past of their shared history.

“they are no longer two but one flesh” – Matthew 19:6

2) “When couples communicate they make every effort to avoid using the word you and try to use the word I.”  This will make it easier to express feelings and much harder to accuse or attack the other person.

3) How you begin and end the day is important. “Reunite at the end of the day and talk about how it went.” The goal is to connect each day helping each other to reduce the stress of the day that can affect the relationship.

“Greet one another with the kiss of love” 1 Peter 5:14

Here is some helpful information:

• “…an unhappy marriage can increase your chances of getting sick by roughly 35% and even shorten your life by an average of four years.”
• “I’ve found 94 percent of the time that couples who put a positive spin on their marriage’s history are likely to have a happy future as well. When happy memories are distorted, it’s a sign that the marriage needs help.”

The information and quotes in this post is from The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work.  Other posts about this book are What Destroys a Marriage, Our Biggest Responsibility in Marriage