When somebody in our famly gets married, our patriarch, my grandfather is always requested to give a speech on secrets to a good marriage. He always gives the same speech every time he is asked to speak on the subject matter.
The secret to a good marriage according to him is S.A.L.T. Usually, he begins with this story.
An old king one day asked his three daughters how much they loved him. The first daughter said that he loved his father as much as she loves all the gold in the kingdom. 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 both of his daugters. Finally the youngest daughter was asked how much she loves him. The youngest daughter said that she loves her father as much as she loves salt. The king was furious with this response. He could not imagine comapring her love to that of the lowly salt. So she banished her youngest daughter to serve in the kitchen.
The king's youngest daughter 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.
My grandfather then continues to explain that the key to a successful, loving and a good marriage therefore is SALT. You have to love you spouse as much as you love salt. He then gives a definition for the acronym S.A.L.T.:
S - Share - When a man and a woman enter into married life, they have to remember that they are considered as one flesh. Each of them must not have a selfish attitude. Each one must share with each other whatever blessings may come to their life. If the husband or wife is invited to a fancy restaurant and taste a good meal, he should plan to bring his or her spouse there someday to share the wonderful experience. Sharing does not only speak about the blessings or the good experiences in life. There should be also a sharing of the burdens and responsibilities in the marriage.
A - Attention - Couples must give attention to each other. While it is all right to spend some time with friends and other interest, most of our time and interest must be spent with our family especially with our spouses. Oftentimes we hear a familiar story wherein the husband complains that the wife keeps on chatting with her friends on the phone or going out with friends. On the other hand wives complains that their husbands just comes home and sits in front of the T.V watching sports or worst comes home very early, that is early in the morning because he was out with his buddies for a drinking spree.
L - Live within your means - Statistically, it has been proven that money problems is the number one reason why couples argue. Strict guidelines must be drawn on how money should be handled. Husbands and wives learn how to work within a budget. Money for emergency savings and investments should also be considered and set aside.
T - Trust - This is the foundation for all a good marriage. This is so because if you do not trust your spouse, you shatter his or her confidence. If couples learn to trust each other then they will be more assured that they are loved and they will be more confident enabling each of them to achieve more in life.
You might say that the principles of S.A.L.T may be simplistic. However it worked for my grandfather and grandmother because they had a good marriage that lasted for more than 50 years. It is my hope and prayer that the principle of SALT will be applied to your marriage as well. - 15784
The secret to a good marriage according to him is S.A.L.T. Usually, he begins with this story.
An old king one day asked his three daughters how much they loved him. The first daughter said that he loved his father as much as she loves all the gold in the kingdom. 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 both of his daugters. Finally the youngest daughter was asked how much she loves him. The youngest daughter said that she loves her father as much as she loves salt. The king was furious with this response. He could not imagine comapring her love to that of the lowly salt. So she banished her youngest daughter to serve in the kitchen.
The king's youngest daughter 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.
My grandfather then continues to explain that the key to a successful, loving and a good marriage therefore is SALT. You have to love you spouse as much as you love salt. He then gives a definition for the acronym S.A.L.T.:
S - Share - When a man and a woman enter into married life, they have to remember that they are considered as one flesh. Each of them must not have a selfish attitude. Each one must share with each other whatever blessings may come to their life. If the husband or wife is invited to a fancy restaurant and taste a good meal, he should plan to bring his or her spouse there someday to share the wonderful experience. Sharing does not only speak about the blessings or the good experiences in life. There should be also a sharing of the burdens and responsibilities in the marriage.
A - Attention - Couples must give attention to each other. While it is all right to spend some time with friends and other interest, most of our time and interest must be spent with our family especially with our spouses. Oftentimes we hear a familiar story wherein the husband complains that the wife keeps on chatting with her friends on the phone or going out with friends. On the other hand wives complains that their husbands just comes home and sits in front of the T.V watching sports or worst comes home very early, that is early in the morning because he was out with his buddies for a drinking spree.
L - Live within your means - Statistically, it has been proven that money problems is the number one reason why couples argue. Strict guidelines must be drawn on how money should be handled. Husbands and wives learn how to work within a budget. Money for emergency savings and investments should also be considered and set aside.
T - Trust - This is the foundation for all a good marriage. This is so because if you do not trust your spouse, you shatter his or her confidence. If couples learn to trust each other then they will be more assured that they are loved and they will be more confident enabling each of them to achieve more in life.
You might say that the principles of S.A.L.T may be simplistic. However it worked for my grandfather and grandmother because they had a good marriage that lasted for more than 50 years. It is my hope and prayer that the principle of SALT will be applied to your marriage as well. - 15784
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