Valentines Day 2013: 10 Couples Share Loving Secrets On How They’re Making Marriage Last

It’s Valentine’s Day!

These days, it is rare to find couples who have committed themselves to loving each other — especially with the many curves life throws everyone’s way. Still, NewsOne found 10 couples who wholeheartedly believe in the sanctity of the institution and were willing to share their gems of wisdom to making one’s relationship survive the test of time.

1) Betty and George Wilson, married 56 years, five children (pictured above)

Even after 56 years as husband and wife, our relationship is STILL a work in progress! Love is an ongoing process and we consciously work at it every day; we have to if we want to continue to be successful at it.

Our marriage is built on love and Godliness.

When we were first married, we stumbled upon a biblical passage that we have tried to live by ever since. It is found in 1 Corinthians, 13:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Whenever either of us feels frustrated with the relationship, we are comforted and fueled by reading these words. The verse reminds us of what marriage is supposed to be and why we signed up for it in the first place. Family is also everything to us; they can actually keep you from throwing in the towel, and we are so blessed to have a supportive network of love all around us.

2) Peter and Delisa Gibbs, married 35 years

Being together 35 years is no small feat! Delisa and I staunchly believe that the most-important lesson to be learned from being married is that we have to be committed to staying the course no matter what happens. We feel any situation that could rock the boat in our marriage is workable — as long as we both are willing to work together as a team.

When two people have it firmly entrenched in their minds that marriage is forever, then when situations arise that could be detrimental to the union, the couple will be more open to learning lessons from them, that they can use to continue building upon the marriage.

Delisa and I have worked really hard on building this marriage from the ground up, and there is an important credo that we live by:

Do not relive the past, move on. If you forgive, then forget. If you don’t completely forgive, then move on from the marriage, it will not work from that point on.

We are firm, passionate believers in the institution of marriage and have even started a movement, The Celebration of Marriage Movement. We offer insights on the intricacies of marriage and are working together on an upcoming book to help couples sustain a healthy marriage over time.

3) Debbie and Frank Wallace, married 34 years, 2 children

Every day we try to make an effort to communicate, laugh, and embrace the other person’s idiosyncrasies. There are days when Frank drives me crazy, and yet, there are those days when I can’t wait to hear this voice, see his smile and feel him snuggle up against me in a warm bed.

We never let a problem fester to the point that we cannot solve the issue.

Oh, but don’t get me wrong, we’ve had scream fests, non-talking days, even one busted-wall day, but we learn to forgive and move on. We truly just try to enjoy those moments we have together because time flies by so quickly.

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