By Henrylito D. Tacio

“For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” This is the first marriage instituted by God as recorded in Genesis 2:24.

Since then, people from all over the world tied the nuptial knot. Gina Cerminara commented: “Marriage is not for a moment; it is for a lifetime. It requires long and serious preparation. It is not be leaped into, but entered with solemn steps of deliberation. For one of the most intimate and difficult of human relationships is that of marriage.”

Adam and Even had an ideal marriage. You know why? Bob Orben replied, “Adam didn’t have to hear about all the men she could have married ­ and Eve didn’t have to hear about the way his mother cooked it.”

“There are some four-letter words which shock new brides ­ like cook, wash, and iron,” Joan I. Welsh said. On the opposite, here’s what a husband tells: “When we got married, my wife promised to love, honor and obey ­ and she does ­ she loves new clothes, honors her credit cards, and obeys her whims.”

Being married is no bed of roses, however. “Marriage is neither heaven nor hell. It is simply purgatory,” Abraham Lincoln said. Beverley Nichols pointed out: “Marriage is a book of which the first chapter is written in poetry and the remaining chapters in prose.”

Flora Davis explains: “Almost all married people fight, although many are ashamed to admit it. Actually, a marriage in which no quarreling at all takes may place well be one that is dead or dying from emotional undernourishment. If you care, you probably fight.”

Sholem Aleichem (aka Solomon J. Rabinowitz) said: “I have a wife, you have a wife, we all have wives, we’ve had a taste of paradise, we know what it means to be married.” Robert Burton thinks otherwise: “One was never married, and that’s his hell; another is, and that’s his plague.” George Jessel forwards: “Marriage is a mistake every man should make.”

“By all means marry,” Socrates advised. “If you get a good wife, you will become very happy; if you get a bad one, you will become a philosopher ­ and that is good for any man.”

Ogden Nash has an advice for married couple: “To keep your marriage brimming with love in the loving cup; whenever you’re wrong, admit it; whenever you’re right, shut up.”

Man and woman have different views about marriage. “When a girl marries, she exchanges the attentions of many men for the inattention of one,” Helen Rowland claims. “Why does a woman work ten years to change a man’s habits and then complain that he’s not the man she married?” singer Barbra Streisand wonders.

In marriage, love is always there. Oscar Wilde said, “One should always be in love. That is the reason one should never marry.” Zsa Zsa Gabor agrees: “A man in love is incomplete until he has married. Then, he’s finished.”

Of course, there are marriages made in heaven. So, one wonders: What makes a marriage work? Well, there’s no basic formula. But allow me to share to you a thought-provoking piece below. I don’t know who wrote it but I am sure you will agree with author:

“Blessed are the husband and wife who continue to be affectionate, considerate and loving after the wedding bells have ceased ringing.

“Blessed are the husband and wife who are as polite and courteous to one another as they are to their friends.

“Blessed are they who have a sense of humor, for this attribute will be a handy shock absorber.

“Blessed are the married couples who abstain from alcoholic beverages.

“Blessed are they who love their mates more than any other person in the world, and who joyfully fulfill their marriage vow of a lifetime of fidelity and mutual helpfulness to each other.

“Blessed are they who remember to thank God for their food before they partake of it, and who set aside some time each day for the reading of the Bible and prayer.

“Blessed are they who attain parenthood, for children are a heritage of the Lord.

“Blessed are those mates who never speak loudly to each other and who make their home a place ‘where seldom is heard a discouraging word.’

“Blessed are the husband and wife who faithfully attend the worship service of the church.

“Blessed are the husband and wife who can work out their problems of adjustment without interference from relatives.

“Blessed is the couple who have a complete understanding about financial matters and who have worked out perfect partnership with all the money under control of both.

“Blessed are the husband and wife who humbly dedicate their lives and their home to Christ and practice the teachings of Christ in their home by being unselfish, loyal and loving.”

Cecil Myers said it best: “Successful marriage is always a triangle: a man, a woman, and God.”