Awhile ago some dear friends put on a lovely bridal shower for Anna.  Each guest was asked to write down a bit of advise for the bride-to-be.  It can be a real challenge to come up with profound bits of wisdom in a moment’s notice.  However, it does force one to condense what otherwise could become pages of counsel.  If you had to boil down years of ups and downs in marriage, what is the best advise you would give?

My beautiful sisters and friends didn’t disappoint.  Here’s what they wrote: 

Listen first.  Then talk.  It’s not 50/50.  It’s more like 110/110.  Take time to have fun.  It takes 10 positive remarks to balance 1 negative.  Love!  Love!  Love!

Pray together even when you don’t want to.  Have fun together even when you don’t feel like it.

Remember that your parents love you so much.  It’s not that they need to know everything you do – they just like being included in your daily lives because you will always be in their thoughts, even when you are 40 years old.

Be slow to anger and remember that neither opinion is necessarily right or wrong, just different.

Count your blessings…. Live well, laugh often, love much.

Marriage is give and take….we all need grace….continue to put God first, everything else will fall into place….

Make your home a haven that your husband can look forward to at the end of the day…greet him with a smile and a hug and tell him how much you love and respect him….your marriage will blossom. 

One card held a recipe for a happy marriage.  I chuckled at one of the ingredients: 1 small pinch in-laws. 

From the bridesmaid: Always be sure to cough when you flatulate.  (Good advise whether married or not.) 

And from the youngest shower guest: Take Dan to Knuckleheads (a local pizzeria and fun zone).

Good advise, all!!  Anything to add to this fantastic list?  Comment, please!