Marriage

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“If you want something to last forever, you treat it differently, it becomes special because you have made it so.”  Elder Burton Howard

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Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being “in love” which any of us can convince ourselves we are.
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.  Louis De Bernieres

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“Two people coming from different backgrounds soon learn after the ceremony is performed that stark reality must be faced.  There is no longer a life of fantasy or of make-believe; we must come out of the clouds and put our feet firmly on the earth.  Responsibility must be assumed and new duties must be accepted.  Some personal freedoms must be relinquished and many adjustments, unselfish adjustments, must be made.

One comes to realize very soon after marriage that the spouse has weaknesses not previously revealed or discovered.  The virtues that were constantly magnified during courtship now grow relatively smaller, and the weaknesses that seemed so small and insignificant during courtship now grow to sizable proportions…The habits of years now show themselves; the spouse may be stingy or prodigal, lazy or industrious, devout or irreligious, kind and cooperative or petulant and cross, demanding or giving, egotistical or self-effacing.  The in-law problem comes closer into focus and the relationship of the spouses to them is again magnified.”   Spencer W. Kimball                         

“While every young man and young woman will seek with all diligence and prayerfulness to find a mate with whom life can be most compatible and beautiful, yet it is certain that almost any good man and any good woman can have happiness and a successful marriage if both are willing to pay the price.” Spencer W. Kimball

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Recommended Book – “The Case for marriage”

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“Ingredients of a happy marriage – by Alexandra Stoddard, designer & author – The key to a rich and full relationship is commitment.  When you promise and pledge yourself to each other, you connect in an entirely new and meaningful way.  You give your devotion, dedication and trust.  You join together to help each other live fully.  You jump in with both feet and recognize that it is now up to you to create your own happiness together.  There will be many exciting surprises.  No marriage sails along on smooth waters indefinitely.  There will be stormy times too.

Take time each week to review your commitment to your love and your shared goals.  Couples encountering hard times such as illness, the death of a parent or friends, unemployment, a troubled child are best faced together.  When two people are determined to think positively, these life events can be turned from obstacles into challenges.  As you support and comfort each other, your marriage will actually grow stronger.

After you make a commitment and join in equal partnership with your spouse, have some fun and keep the romance alive.  Make it a goal to live beautifully every day, enriching and expanding each other’s vision while at the same time exploring your indiviudal talents.  Live as lovers.  Whisper, kiss, touch, listen.  Share silences and laughter.  Share dreams and fantasies.  Always remember we make our own happiness.  This is your life on earth and you are responsible.  Treat each other with kindness, tenderness and respect.  This simple formula works.

Spend as much quality time together as possible.  Hold hands and hug a lot.  All the little things you do together bring joy.”

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Destructive ways of talking to each other

Criticism: Attacking someone’s personality or character…usually with blame.

Contempt: Insulting or demeaning the spouse, indicating by words or actions that one believes the spouse to be “stupid, disgusting, incompetent, a fool.”

Defensiveness: Responding defensively to complaints, criticism, or contempt by making excuses, denying, arguing, whining, or counter-blaming rather than trying to solve the problem.

Stonewalling:  Withdrawing physically or emotionally from the relationship when disagreements occur, becoming like a stone wall.

Ways to interact Positively:

Show interest in what your spouse has to say.

Be affectionate through acts of tenderness, holding hands, and expressing love.

Showing you care through small acts of thoughtfulness, occasional gifts, and telephone calls.

Showing appreciation by expressing thanks, giving compliments, and expressing pride in your spouse.

Showing concern when your spouse is troubled.

Being empathic, showing you understand and feel what your spouse is feeling.

Being accepting, letting your spouse know that you accept and respect what he or she said, even when you disagree with it.

Joking around and having fun together without being offensive.

Sharing joy when excited or delighted.

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Tips to building better communication:

1. When you want to talk about concerns and problems with your spouse, pick a comfortable setting, one free of distractions or interruptions.  Choose a place where the two of you can be alone.

2. Talk face to face, close enough to touch each other and with enough light to see each others features clearly.

3. Express your thoughts and feelings by using “I” messages rather than “You” messages (blaming and criticizing statements).  Try “I feel unimportant when I don’t get to explain the problem” instead of “You never listen to me!”

4. Keep your comments brief….

5. Don’t put your spouse on the defensive.  Express negative feelings in a respectful manner, such as, “When I am criticized, I feel angry and hurt.”  Say how you want the burgers cooked rather than criticizing after they are done.  Accentuate the positive.

6. Don’t hide your feelings behind jargon.  Instead, be kindly straightforward about what you really feel and think.

7. Make requests clear and respectful: “I’d like you to put gas in the car this morning.  Do you think you might have time to do that?

8. Do not try to be a mind reader.  The only way to find out what your spouse thinks or feels is to ask.

9. Do not blame, demean, or accuse.  Focus on the problem rather than criticizing.  Use the no-fault approach:  “I’m uncomfortable/unhappy with the situation.  Let’s talk about what we can do to change it.”

10. Remember that listening, controlling anger, and using the appropriate tones of voice all contribute to good communication.  Nagging, conversational discourtesies, and sullen silence detract from it.

“There is magic in words properly used.  Words cause hearts to throb and tears to flow in sympathy.  words can be sincere or hypocritical.  Many of us are destitute of words and consequently are clumsy with our speech.”   Spencer W. Kimball

“I hear so many complaints from men and women that they cannot communicate with one another.  Perhaps I am naive, but I do not understand this.  Communication is essentially a matter of conversation.  They must have communicated when they were courting.  Can they not continue to speak together after marriage?  Can they not discuss with one another in an open frank and candid and happy way – their interests, their problems, their challenges, their desires?  It seems to me that communication is largely a matter of talking with one another.  But let that talk be quiet, for quiet talk is the language of love.  It is the language of peace.  It is the language of God…The voice of heaven is a still small voice.  The voice of peace in the home is a quiet voice.”  Gordon B. Hinckley

“We are a covenant people.  I have had the feeling that if we could just encourage our people to live by three or four covenants everything else would take care of itself; we would not have to have anything else except to go forward with our program.

The first of these is the covenant of the sacrament, in which we take upon ourselves the name of the Savior and agree to keep His commandments with the promise in His covenant that he will bless us with His spirit.  If our people would go to sacrament meeting every week and reflect as they partake of the sacrament on the meaning of the prayers which are offered…if they would listen to the language of those prayers, which were given by revelation, and live by them, what better people all of us would be.  That is the importance of sacrament meeting.  The speakers are incidental.

Next is the covenants of the temple: sacrifice, the willingness to sacrifice for the Lord’s work – inherent in that law of sacrifice is the very essence of the Atonement, the ultimate sacrifice made by the Son of God in behalf of each of us.  Consecration, which is associated with it, a willingness to give everything, if need be, to help the on-rolling of this great work.  And a covenant of love and loyalty one to another in the bonds of marriage, fidelity, chastity, and morality.

If our people could only learn to live by these covenants, everything else would take care of itself, I am satisfied.  We would not have to worry about sacrament meeting attendance.  We would not have to worry about willingness to serve missions.  We would not have to worry about divorce and the many requests for cancellation of temple sealings.  We would not have to worry about any of those things.” Gordon B. Hinckley  

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Two excellent talks can be found at lds.org – April 1985 “Oh, Is that what you meant?” – October 1990 “When couples don’t listen to each other.”

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Write down two challenges you have in your marriage…then choose gospel principles that you might use to help solve those challenges.  One or two practices you can do each day.  Keep a journal or notebook of what you do.

Challenge 1   -   Challenge 2

Gospel Principles – Faith, Prayer, Repentance, Forgiveness, Respect, Love, Compassion, Work, Recreation, Patience.

Changing Perspective – What happens in your marriage when you feel as though you are seeing yourself and your spouse as Heavenly Father sees you both?

What happens when the cares and standards of the world seem to dominate your interactions?

What changes do you need to make to repair negative feelings and to maintain a better perspective in your relationship?

What might the Lord know about you that the two of you have not understood, such as your eternal possibilities, your pre-mortal past, the life experiences that have influenced your behavior, and your potential to achieve an eternal marriage?

How might His perspective affect the way you relate to each other?

Marriage and Family relations manual

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Fostering Equality and Unity

“In the marriage companionship there is neither inferiority nor superiority.  The woman does not walk ahead of the man, neither does the man walk ahead of the woman.  They walk side by side as a son and daughter of God on an eternal journey.

I am confident when we stand before the bar of God, there will be little mention of how much wealth we accumulated in life or of any honors which we may have achieved.  But there will be searching questions about our domestic relations.  And I am convinced that only those who have walked through life with love and respect and appreciation for their companions and children will receive from our eternal judge the words, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant……enter thou into the joy of the Lord.’  Gordon B. Hinckley

“The Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, said of those who would be part of his church: ‘Be one and if ye are not one ye are not mine.’  And at the creation of man and woman, unity for them in marriage was not given as hope; it was a command!  ‘Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh.’  Our Heavenly Father wants our hearts to be knit together.  That union in love is not simply an ideal.  It is a necessity.” Henry B. Eyring

“How tragic and utterly disgusting a phenomenon is wife abuse.  Any man in this church who abuses his wife, who demeans her, who insults her, who exercises unrighteous dominion over her is unworthy to hold the priesthood.  Though he may have been ordained, the heavens will withdraw, the Spirit of the Lord will be grieved and it will be amen to the authority of the priesthood of that man.

My brethren, if there be any within the sound of my voice who are guilty of such behavior, I call upon you to repent.  Get on your knees and ask the Lord to forgive you.  Pray for the power to control your tongue and your heavy hand.  Ask for the forgiveness of your wife and your children.”  Gordon B. Hinckley

“Total unselfishness is sure to accomplish another factor in successful marriage.  If one spouse is forever seeking the interests, comforts and happiness of the other, the love found in courtship and cemented in marriage will grow into mighty proportions…Certainly the foods most vital for love are consideration, kindness, thoughtfulness, concern, expressions of affection, embraces of appreciation, admiration, pride, companionship, confidence,, faith, partnership, equality, and interdependence.”  Spencer W. Kimball

How well do you know your spouse?
1.  What is your spouses favorite color?
2.  Does your spouse like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?  Smooth or Chunky?
3.  Does your spouse put their pants or shirt on first?
4.  What is your spouse’s favorite song?
5.  What concert would your spouse pay big bucks to attend?
6.  What radio station does your spouse listen to most?
7.  Does your spouse have a sports hero?  Who is it?
8.  Is there an athlete your spouse would like to meet?
9.  What movie has made your spouse cry?
10.How would your spouse dress 24/7 if they could?
11.What did you and your spouse eat the last time you ate together?
12.What is your spouses favorite book?
13.What is your spouses favorite television show?
14.Who is your spouses favorite prophet?
15.What is your spouses favorite scripture?
16.When was the last time your spouse told you they loved you?
17.When was the last time you took your spouse in your arms, looked them in they eyes and told them you loved them?

Think of a habit you have that affects your marriage relationship? 1. recognize your need for change. 2. Verbally express a desire to change 3. Make a commitment to others for change 4. Formulate a plan – write it down 5. Seek a network of support – spouse, family or friend 6. Be accountable to someone – spouse, family or friend.

Answer the questions below with?

* husband and wife make the decision together

* husband makes the decision

* wife makes the decision

* wife makes the decision consulting with husband

* husband makes the decision consulting with the wife

1. Where should the family live?

2. What job should the husband take?

3. How much time should they spend in church activities?

4. How and when should they discipline their children?

5. Where and when should the family go on vacation?

6. Should the wife work outside the home?

7. When should they have children?

8. How should the husband spend a birthday gift certificate?

9. What math class should the wife sign up for?

10. How much money should the couple donate to charity?

11. How many children should the couple have?

12. How many hours should the husband work?

13. How should the wife discipline a child when the husband is not at home?

14. What job should the wife take if she works outside the home?

15. How should a husband spend a day off from work?

16. When should the couple buy a new car?

17. How much time should each spouse spend pursuing hobbies or interests?

18. What fitness program should the husband participate in to stay in shape?

19. If the wife works outside the home, how many hours should she work?

20. How should they spend their money?

21. What hobbies should the wife pursue?

A guy named Bob May, depressed and brokenhearted, stared out his drafty apartment window into the chilling December night. His 4-year-old daughter, Barbara, sat on his lap quietly sobbing. Bobs wife, Evelyn, was dying of cancer. Little Barbara couldn’t understand why her mommy could never come home. Barbara looked up into her dads eyes and asked, “Why isn’t Mommy just like everybody else’s Mommy?”

Bob’s jaw tightened and his eyes welled with tears. Her question brought waves of grief, but also of anger. It had been the story of Bob’s life. Life always had to be different for Bob. Being small when he was a kid, Bob was often bullied by other boys. He was too little at the time to compete in sports. He was often called names he’d rather not remember.  From childhood, Bob was different and never seemed to fit in.

Bob did complete college, married his loving wife and was grateful to get his job as a copywriter at Montgomery Ward during the Great Depression. Then he was blessed with his little girl. But it was all short-lived.

Evelyn’s bout with cancer stripped them of all their savings and now Bob and his daughter were forced to live in a two-room apartment in the Chicago slums. Evelyn died just days before Christmas in 1938. Bob struggled to give hope to his child, for whom he couldn’t even afford to buy a Christmas gift.

But if he couldn’t buy a gift, he was determined a make one – a storybook!  Bob had created an animal character in his own mind and told the animal’s story to little Barbara to give her comfort and hope.  Again and again Bob told the story, embellishing it more with each telling.

Who was the character? What was the story all about? The story Bob May created was his own autobiography in fable form. The character he created was a misfit outcast like he was. The name of the character – A little reindeer named Rudolph, with a big shiny nose.  Bob finished the book just in time to give it to his little girl on Christmas Day.

But the story doesn’t end there. The general manager of Montgomery Ward caught wind of the little storybook and offered Bob May a nominal fee to purchase the rights to print the book. Wards went on to print Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and distribute it to children visiting Santa Claus in their stores. By 1946 Wards had printed and distributed more than six million copies of Rudolph.

That same year, a major publisher wanted to purchase the rights from Wards to print an updated version of the book. In an unprecedented gesture of kindness, the CEO of Wards returned all rights back to Bob May.

The book became a best seller. Many toy and marketing deals followed and Bob May, now remarried with a growing family, became wealthy from the story he created to comfort his grieving daughter.

But the story doesn’t end there either. Bob’s brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, made a song adaptation to Rudolph. Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore, it was recorded by the singing cowboy, Gene Autry. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of “White Christmas.” The gift of love that Bob May created for his daughter so long ago kept on returning to bless him again and again. And Bob May learned the lesson, just like his dear friend Rudolph, that being different isn’t so bad. In fact, being different can be a blessing!

Merry Christmas Everyone

by Helen Steiner Rice

Unawares

And straight I turned to toiling,
To make my house more neat;
I swept and polished and garnished
And decked it with blossoms sweet,
I was troubled for fear the Master
Might come ere my task was done,
And hastened and worked the faster
And watched the hurrying sun.

But right in the midst of my duties
A woman came to my door;
She had come to tell me her sorrow,
And my comfort and aid implore.
And I said, “I cannot listen,
Nor help you any today;
I have greater things to attend to,”
And the pleader turned away.

But soon there came another
A cripple, thin, pale, and gray
And said, O, let me stop and rest
A while in your home, I pray.
I have traveled far since morning,
I am hungry, and faint and weak
My heart is full of misery,
And comfort and help I seek.”

And I said, “I am grieved and sorry
But I cannot help you today;
I look for the great and noble guest,”
And the cripple went away.
The day wore onward swiftly
And my task was nearly done,
And a prayer was ever in my heart,
That the master to me might come.

And thought I would spring to meet him,
And serve him with utmost care,
When a little child stood by me
With a face so sweet and fair—
Sweet, but with marks of tear drops
And his clothes were tattered and old;
A finger was bruised and bleeding.
And his little bare feet were cold.

And I said “I’m sorry for you,
You are sorely in need of care;
But I cannot stop to give it,
You must hasten on elsewhere.”
And at the words a shadow
Swept o’er his blue-veined brow-
“Someone will feed and clothe you, dear,
But I am too busy now.

At last the day was ended
And my toil was over and done.
My house was swept and garnished,
And I watched in the dark alone;
Watched, but no footsteps sounded,
No one e’er paused at the gate,
No one entered my cottage door.
I could only pause and wait.

I waited until night had deepened
And the Master had not come;
He has entered some other door,” I cried
“And gladdened some other home,
My labor has been for nothing”
And I bowed my head and I wept,
My heart was sore with longing,
Yet in spite of all I slept.

Then the Master stood before me.
His face was grave and fair;
“Three times today I came to your door,
And craved your pity and care;
Three times you sent me onward,
Unhelped and uncomforted,
And the blessings you might have had are lost,
And your chance to serve has fled.”

“Oh, Lord, dear Lord, forgive me
How could I know it was Thee?”
My very soul was shamed and bowed
In the depths of humility.
And he said, “The sin is pardoned
But the blessing is lost to thee;
For comforting not the least of mine,
You have failed to comfort me.”

by Emma A. Lent

Howard W. Hunter – “We must know Christ better than we know him; we must remember him more often than we remember him; and we must serve him more valiantly than we serve him”

In the executive’s own words, “Somehow, when I return to the item a few days later, I see something I didn’t see before.  I think of a new way to attack the problem.  I jot it down, if it still doesn’t move where I want it to, back in the box it goes.  Amazingly, it always works!  Since I’ve been using the “I-Believe-It” Box, I haven’t lost one sale, one project or one proposal!”

I love this story told in “You Inc.” by Burke Hedges

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will

When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,

When funds are low, and debts are high,

You want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is intriguing with its twists and turns,

As everyone of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about,

When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don’t give up – though the pace seems slow,

You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out,

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

You can never tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far;

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,

It’s when things seem worse,

that you must not Quit!

unknown

We never get what we want,
We never want what we get,
We never have what we like,
We never like what we have.
And still we live and love.
That’s life…

The best kind of friends,
Are the kind you can sit on a porch swing with, never say a word,
And walk away feeling it was the best conversation you ever had.

It’s true we don’t know
What we’ve got until it’s gone,
It’s also true that we don’t know
What were missing until it arrives..

Giving someone all your love is never assurance, they’ll love you back!
Don’t expect love in return;
Wait for it to grow in their heart,
If it doesn’t, be grateful it grew in yours.

It only takes a minute to get a crush on someone,
An hour to like someone,
And a day to love someone,
But it takes a lifetime to forget someone.

Don’t go for looks; they can deceive.
Don’t go for wealth; that can fade away.
Go for someone who makes you smile,
It takes one smile to
Make a dark day seems bright.
Find the one that makes your heart smile!

May you have
Enough happiness to make you sweet,
Enough trials to make you strong,
Enough sorrow to keep you human,
And enough hope to make you happy.

Always put yourself in others’ shoes.
If it hurts you,
It probably hurts the other person, too.

The happiest of people
Don’t always have the best of everything;
They just make the most of everything that comes their way.

Happiness comes to
Those who cry,
Those who hurt,
Those who have searched,
And those who have tried their best,
Only then can they appreciate the importance of people
Who have touched their lives.

You were born crying
Everyone around you was smiling.
Live your life so that when you die,
Your the one who’s smiling
And everyone else is crying.

Take time to brighten someone’s day,
People who mean something to you,
Those who have touched your life in one way or another,
Those who make you smile when you really need it,
Those that help you see the brighter side of things; even when your down,
Those who recognize and appreciate a great friendship.

Quit! Give Up! You’re Beaten!
They shout at me and plead.
There’s just too much against you now
This time you can’t succeed!

And as I start to hang my head
In front of failure’s face
My downward fall is broken
By the memory of a race…

And hope refills my weakened will
As I recall that scene.
For just the thought of that short race
Rejuvenates my being.

A Children’s race…Young boys, young men,
Now, I remember well!
Excitement, Sure! But also fear -
It wasn’t hard to tell.

They all lined up so full of hope
Each thought to win the race
Or tie for first—or if not that
At least take second place.

And Fathers watched from the side
Each cheering for his son.
And each boy hoped to show his dad
That HE would be the ONE!

The whistle blew and off they went
Young hearts and hopes afire
To win!  To be the hero there—
Was each young boy’s desire.

One boy in particular,
Whose dad was in the crowd,
Was running near the lead and thought,
My Dad will be so proud!

But as they speeded down the field
Across a shallow dip—
The little boy who thought to win
Lost his step and slipped!

Trying hard to catch himself
His hand came out to brace
Amid the laughter of the crowd,
He fell flat upon his face!

So down he fell,
And with him hope.
He could not win now.  Embarrassed, sad,
He only wished to disappear somehow!

But as he fell, his Dad stood up
And showed his anxious face
Which to the boy so clearly said,
“Get up and win the race!”

He quickly rose—no damage done.
Behind a bit—that’s all.
And ran with all his might and mind
To make up for his fall.

So anxious to restore himself—
To catch up—and to win—
His mind went faster than his legs.
He slipped, and fell again.

He wished then he’d quit before
With only one disgrace.
“I’m hopeless as a runner now—
I shouldn’t try to race.”

But in the laughing crowd, he searched
And found his father’s face—
That steady look which said again:
“Get up and win the race.”

So he jumped to try again—
Ten yards behind the last.
“If I am going to gain those yards,”
he thought,
“I’ve got to move REAL FAST!”

Exceeding everything he had,
He gained eight—or ten—
and trying so hard
To catch the lead;
He slipped, and fell AGAIN!

DEFEAT!  He lay there silently.
A tear dropped from his eye.
“There’s no sense running any more.
Three strikes, I’m out.  Why try?”

“I’ve lost—so what’s the use?”  He thought.
I’ll live in my disgrace.
And then he thought about his Dad
Who soon he’d have to face.

“Get Up,” an echo sounded low.
“Get up and take your place.
You were not meant for failure here—
Get up and win the race.”

With borrowed will…”GET UP,” it said.
“You have not lost at all.
For winning is no more than this—
To rise each time you fall.”

So up he rose to run once more
And with a new commit,
He resolved that win or lose,
At least he wouldn’t quit.

So far behind the others now—
The most he’d ever been.
Still he gave it all he had
And ran as though to win.

Three times he’d fallen—stumbling.
Three times he rose again.
Too far behind to hope to win,
He still ran to the end.

They cheered the winning runner
When he crossed the line—first place—
Head high!  Proud and happy!
No falling—No disgrace.

But when the falling youngster
Crossed the line—last place—
The crowd gave him the greater cheer
For finishing the Race.

And even though he came in last—
Head bowed low—unproud—
You would have thought he won that race
To listen to the crowd.

And to his Dad, he softly said,
“I didn’t do so well.”
“To me, you won,” his father said,
You rose each time you fell.”

And so when things seem dark and hard
And difficult to face
The memory of that little boy
Helps me in my race.

For all of life is like that race,
With ups and downs and all
And all you have to do to win
Is rise each time you fall.

Quit! Give Up! You’re Beaten!
They still shout in my face…
But another voice within me shouts—
“GET UP AND WIN THE RACE!”

By Delbert Groberg

So they enter heaven, and sure enough,
There are ducks all over the place.
It is almost impossible not to step on a duck,
Although they try their best to avoid them,
The first woman accidentally steps on one.
Along comes St Peter with the ugliest man she ever saw.
St Peter chains them together and says,
Your punishment for stepping on a duck is to
Spend eternity chained to this ugly man!’

The next day the second woman accidentally steps on a duck
Along comes St Peter, who doesn’t miss a thing.
With him is another extremely ugly man.
He chains them together
With the same admonishment as the first woman.

The third woman has observed everything and
Not wanting to be chained
For all eternity to an ugly man is VERY
VERY careful where she steps.
She manages to go months without stepping on a duck,

One day St Peter comes up to her
With the most handsome man she has ever laid eyes on
Tall, Dark, long eyelashes, and muscular.
Peter chains them together without saying a word.

The happy woman says,
‘Wow! What did I do to deserve being
Chained to you for all of eternity?’

I don’t know about you,
But I stepped on a duck.

“THE LAST TOUCH”

Their first touch at seventeen was in the park,
And the moon was full.
She was beautiful to him,
And her hair was long and her eyes were blue
And her skin was warm and she turned to him.
And he thought that he knew what love was.

Another touch was at twenty-two,
On their wedding night.
And the stars were bright.
She was beautiful to him.
And her hair smelled sweet and her lips were full
And her skin was warm and she turned to him
And he thought that he knew what love was.

And then again at twenty-five, when the baby came
And the sun was high.
She was beautiful to him.
And her hair was damp and her fingers shook
And her skin was warm and she turned to him.
And he thought that he knew what love was.

Later on at fifty-four, setting on the porch,
All the children gone.
She was beautiful to him.
And her hair was grey and her forehead lined
And her skin was warm and she turned to him.
And he thought that he knew what love was.

Their last touch at eighty-five was by her bed
And the moon was full.
She was beautiful to him.
And her hair was thin and her eyes were closed
And her skin was cold and He turned to her,
And he knew that he knew what love was.

After eighty-five years of laughter and tears
He knew that he knew what love was.
song by Lex de Azevedo

In Loving Memory of My Husband –

“THE LAST TOUCH”

Their first touch at seventeen was in the park,
And the moon was full.
He was handsome to her,
And his hair was brown and his eyes were blue
And his skin was warm and he turned to her.
And she thought that she knew what love was.

Another touch was at twenty-two,
On their wedding night.
And the stars were bright.
He was handsome to her.
And his hair smelled fresh and his lips were sweet
And his skin was warm and he turned to her
And she thought that she knew what love was.

And then again at twenty-five, when the baby came
And the sun was high.
He was handsome to her.
And his hair was damp and his fingers shook
And his skin was warm and he turned to her.
And she thought that she knew what love was.

Later on at fifty-four, setting on the porch,
All the children gone.
He was handsome to her,
And his hair was grey and his forehead lined
And his skin was warm and he turned to her.
And she thought that she knew what love was.

Their last touch at eighty-five was by his bed
And the moon was full.
He was handsome to her,
And his hair was thin and his eyes were closed
And his skin was cold and She turned to him.
And she knew that she knew what love was.

After eighty-five years of laughter and tears
She knew that she knew what love was.
song by Lex de Azevedo (revised for him)