by Zigfred Diaz
My grandfather is always asked to give a speech on secrets to a good marriage everytime somebody in the area gets married. What's interesting about it is that he almost always gives out the same speech every time.
According to him, the secret to a good marriage is S.A.L.T.
He usually begins with this story:
There was an old king who one day asked his three daughters one by one if they loved him. The first daughter replied that he loved his father as much as she loves all the gold in the kingdom. The king was so happy to hear how much he was loved by his first daughter. The second daughter said that he loved her father as much she loves all the silver in the kingdom. The king was so delighted with this. Finally he asked his youngest daughter how much she loves him. The youngest daughter replied, "Father, I love you as much as I love salt." The king was so angry why her youngest daughter compared her love to that only of salt so she banished her to serve in the kitchen.
The king's youngest daughter the instructed the cook not to put salt in all the king's dishes. Because of this the king slowly loss his appetite for the food that was served that he became very sick. He then asked the cook to explain why the food is not as tasty as before. The cook then told him that his youngest daughter instructed her not to put salt in all the king's dishes. When the king heard this, he was furious. He asked his youngest daughter to explain her actions. She explained to her father that she was only demonstrating how much she loved him. The old king finally finally realized how important salt is. He finally understood that his youngest daughter loved him so much more than her two sisters.
With that introduction, my grandfather then goes to the main topic that is the keys to a successful, loving and a good marriage which is "SALT." He then goes to the body of his message by giving meanings to each letter of the word SALT.
S - Share - Each of the couple must remember that when they get married, they are considered as one flesh. They must share whatever blessings they have individually with each other. They must not be selfish. Above all they must think of sharing not only physical things with each other but experiences as well. Sharing should also refer to the burdens and responsibilities in family life.
A - Attention - Oftentimes we hear of spouses complaining that their respective spouses are not giving enough attention to them. The wife complains that the husband just comes home and sits in front of the T.V watching sports. Some husbands complains that the wife keeps on chatting with her friends on the phone. It does not mean that the couple should not spend some time with their friends or their interest. However take note that they must give the bulk of their attention to each other.
L - Live within your means - Most experts say that the leading cause of marital problems is due to the couple's financial misunderstandings. To avoid this, before and even after marriage, each couple must sit down and work out a guideline on how they should handle money. Budgeting, savings and investments should be seriously considered by each and every couple to avoid money problems.
T - Trust - When you fail to trust your spouse it shatter his or her confidence thereby limiting his or her capacity to succeed in any endevour in life. That is why trust is considered as the foundation for any good marriage.
The principle of S.A.L.T may be simplistic but it worked for my grandfather and grandmother because they had a good marriage for the past 50 years. It is my hope and my prayer that you will learn the secrets to a good marriage that you will have a good marriage as well.
Source: http://www.everyday-wisdom.com/secrets-to-a-good-marriage.html