Monday, September 17, 2007

Whole-hearted listening

Young couples often dream of growing old together. How can you really stay together for a lifetime? Are feelings of happiness the kind of "glue" that keeps people together? Not likely, and certainly not alone. What about commitment? Does it take a strict sense of duty and conscious decisions to make a lifetime marriage possible? That's part of it. But there is something more.

Day-to-day activities and events give partners shared experiences and memories. Over time, these small moments grow into a shared history that is deep and binding. We feel strongly connected to our another half not just because we feel love for him or her, but because we have a life together, every day, including good times, and bad times.

Another way is simply to listen to our partner with our full attention. Supportive, whole-hearted listening lets our partner know that he or she is really our first priority. It takes time and effort to understand one another and to be cheerleaders for each other.

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