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by Jodi Breckenridge Petit (Compiled by)
This collection of advice serves as reminders for those long married; guidance for those struggling in their relationship; and courage for those considering getting married. My husband and I eloped to Belize in 1996. We inserted a 3" X 5" notecard and envelope into each announcement and requested our friends and family return the notecard with written words of wisdom as their gift. Twenty years later, in 2016, I pulled the notecards out of storage and realized their value. I hope you find them as useful as we do. What did I learn from this exercise? As I read each note, I placed it next to similar insights; piles began to form. Those piles became chapters. I realized than no advice had more value than any other. Who was I to say what was most important? Thus, I ordered the chapters based on what seemed to have the most gravity first (respect, compromise, trust, forgiveness) and the long-term advice at the end (humor, patience, wisdom). In the end, I learned it takes maturity, a sense of self, and hard work to develop and maintain a marriage. Nothing new or flashy, no cure-all; simply salt-of-the-earth advice from those who lived it. I had the benefit of knowing all of the authors. I valued the pride the long-married had in their wisdom. And I now take away tools to use to cherish and honor our marriage. It is more than worth it.
