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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The holidays are upon us! Aren’t Thanksgiving and Christmas wonderful times of the year! They are family times. But wait. Once you are married, the family is bigger now.

Two families with their holiday traditions brought together by your marriage. Or maybe brought together are the wrong words. These family traditions are part of the adjustments (or challenges) you have to make early in your marriage.

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Below is a guest post by an old friend. He sends out a regular email with spiritual observations and I thought this one was exceptionally good for this site. And, appropriate for this Thanksgiving time of the year when we spend extra time with family. Hope you enjoy it and it makes you think, as it did me.

...Understand that family is a description of the interaction of people.

Sometimes it is good, and sometimes it is rocky. But the descriptor defines something else, it defines commitment, determination, and love. It provides you with shelter, security, support, and love. It helps you to grow, interact, socialize, and love. It gives you opportunities to share, accomplish, build, strengthen, and love. It encourages you to become whole, influence, guide, and love.

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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

Do you really know your partner? What is a love map and what does it have to do with building a strong marriage? The first of John Gottman’s Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work is Enhance Your Love Map.

You can get Gottman’s book at Amazon at this link:
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert
Here’s another book to “enhance your love map”
1001 Questions to Ask Before You Get Married