An old man got on a bus one February 14th, carrying a dozen roses. He sat beside a young man. The young man looked at the roses and said, “Somebody’s going to get a beautiful Valentine’s Day gift.”

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Did you see in the news, the Queen and Prince Philip just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. At a service at the Westminster Abbey to celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary, the sermon said in part:

Every marriage is an act of faith. When you think about it, the promise to be in the company of the same person for a lifetime is an extraordinary thing to undertake; it is a statement of trust in one another and in the future which can never be free of risk. Another person, however well I think I know him or her, however confident I am about the mutual attraction between us, is still going to be deeply mysterious, beyond my control. Giving away my life to them is quite a step.

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A few nights ago, Billy Crystal received the 10th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The award program aired on PBS and for most of the evening Billy Crystal watched as others high-lighted his comedic accomplishments. Then came his turn.

In his acceptance of the award he was his usual hilarious self, saying things like “Whenever I think about Mark Twain, one thing comes to mind — Cliffs Notes.”

But I would say the highlight of the speech was the honor he gave to his wife, Janice Goldfinger, whom he met as a teenager and has been married to for 37 years.

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Nicole Kidman was interviewed by Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America today. It’s when she was asked about a quote from her husband Keith Urban that the tears swelled up in her eyes.

The quote had to do with Urban’s entering rehab for alcoholism 4 months after he and Kidman were married. Urban said that in most marriages such challenges come later, not so soon in a marriage, but when it happens, it’s like having a house burn down and having to build another one. And he added, she (Nicole) makes me want to be a better man.

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Don’t have stock in Hyundai, don’t work for them, don’t own one. But I do like Hyundai’s new commercial about commitment. If you haven’t seen it, watch it below. In marriage preparation, I often ask couples what they think makes a successful marriage. There are many “right” answers, but one that gets mentioned a lot is commitment. I agree. There’s a segment in my marriage preparation outline Questions for Couples About Commitment that deals specifically with commitment in marriage. Take a look and think about it!

Hyundai Commitment Commercial

As you prepare for marriage, spend some time thinking about your marriage years down the line. When you look back 10, 20 or 50 years from now, what do you want to be able to say about your life together as husband and wife?

Don’t know if you are a Martina McBride fan, but she does seem to have strong family values. That certainly comes out in the song she sings called All The Things We’ve Never Done.

Very romantic I think, and maybe fodder for you and your partner to talk about your goals and priorities in life.

There may be some things in life you don’t achieve but what greater accomplishment than to look back over your marriage one day and know that you have been faithful to one another over the years.

Here are the lyrics to McBride’s song:

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Answer as much as you can below.

You can share your answers with each other now.

But you’ll also want to seal this page in an envelope and put it away with your other important pagers. Get it out on your anniversary and enjoy it all over again.

You will also want to look at it when your marriage hits a rough spot. When we are in conflict with our mates, we tend to magnify the negative and minimize the positive. We also forget the past and what it was really like. Your notes will remind you why you married this person.

• I am marrying you because:

• The things I admire / like about you include:

• Our relationship is good right now because:

• My favorite “memory” of us right now is:

• We share these common values, beliefs and goals in life: