Lisa: Sometimes I think that successful
marriages are an endangered societal species. It seems as though every time I
turn around, another couple I know is getting divorced. It’s a shame because
marriage is very important. I believe that if people put more effort into making
their marriages work, there would be fewer divorces. Marriage takes certain
qualities to make it a success, such as responsibility and a sense of humor. If
partners all understand this, more happy marriages will be
maintained. Elizabeth: One thing I think
that is important to a successful marriage is that you should not always think
of yourself. My husband and I have stayed happily for about ten years. He makes
me want to do things for him because of his generous nature. I know there are
many times he would rather be reading, relaxing, or working on the car, but he
only does something for himself when all the household chores are done and the
kids have been taken care of. In return, I bake him all his favorite home-made
cakes and cookies and try to go out of my way to do special things for him. I
feel very fortunate to have married him.
Catherine: My husband is my best friend, with whom I
share most of my thought. We find it easy to talk about most things, so we don’t
have many secrets from each other. When my mother makes him upset, he tells me
about it. Things like that are easier to deal with when they’re out in the open
than when they’re kept inside. Thus, we have a very open, comfortable
relationship. Rose: I feel sorry for what
my divorced friends have lost. No matter bow earnestly the former spouses try to
"keep in touch", no matter how generous the visiting privileges for the parent
who does not win custody of the children, the continuity of their lives has been
broken. The years they spent together have been cut off from the rest of their
lives; they are an isolated memory, no more integral to their past than a
snapshot. Betty: The very first trick to
a happy marriage is to be a person of yourself who does not imagine a husband is
necessary to make you magically complete Successful partnerships are not between
those who cannot live without each other, but between those who can live with
each other. There is no room even in daydreams for the stupid idea that there is
on earth only one mate intended for another. Now match each
of the persons (61 to 65) to the appropriate statement. Note:
there are two extra statements. Statements [A] Being unselfish
is very important to make a marriage work [B] Being able to communicate makes
our marriage happy. [C] Being a person of independence leads to a successful
marriage. [D] Divorced people will live an incomplete life [E] Marriage is
the result of extended love. [F] Divorce results from a lack of
responsibility and a sense of humor. [G] Divorces can be avoided. Elizabeth