I had read many times that men and women are different – physically and mentally. Sometimes my analytical side kicks in and I wonder how mentally different can we really be? We are all human! We all have problems to solve…that maybe we should mentally be categorized by personality types and not gender.

Well, I was leaning towards that conclusion until something happened last week…

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Today is Remembrance Day in Canada. As a child, I knew this was when the red poppy’s were worn and we did some sort of art work at school in reference to the war. My family didn’t know any war veterans so as a child, it was hard to understand what all the fuss was about.

It wasn’t until I accidentally heard a news broadcast one Remembrance Day explaining that we have our freedom because of those men and women that served in the wars. The reporter delved in to what life might be like if we had lost to the German army.

At my young age, finally someone had connected the dots for me. Being so young, I didn’t really understand what war meant. Sure there are guns and the two sides shoot at each other hoping to win but I had limited understanding of what the consequences of losing meant.

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What importance does family approval of your partner play in your relationship? If your parents and/or siblings are active members in your life, they could add a lot of stress to your relationship if they don’t like your partner.

I just came back from a 10 day family vacation where my boyfriend of one year met my parents, sister and my sister’s husband for the first time.

My family, including my boyfriend, had booked this cruise 8 months ago. My boyfriend was a bit nervous as he said, “We have only been dating 5 months and the cruise is 8 months away…time wise that is farther away than we have been dating. What if we break up before then?”

I smirked and giggled as I said, “Then just pretend to be happy until October and after the cruise we can break up!”

My brother-in-laws sister and husband joined us on the cruise as well. To make a long story short, my sister and her in-laws don’t get along very well. It causes a lot of stress in their marriage.

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After reading the book Project Everlasting, I actually felt quite hopeful that successful marriages do and can exist. I realized that a blemished marriage can become that same great marriage it once was. (see The Secrets of Successful Marriages - Part One and Part Two for details on the previous marriage secrets and an over of the book written by Mathew Boggs and Jason Miller).

All of the Marriage Masters (the name given by the authors to the couples they interviewed) didn’t just luck out and sail through their relationships.

They recognized and could articulate why their marriages were successful. And really, how can you go wrong listening to the advice from couples who are talking the talk AND walking the walk?

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In my quest for building and keeping my current relationship healthy and strong, I have been reading a book called Project Everlasting (see The Secrets of Successful Marriages - Part One for a more thorough explanation of the book and my initial discussion of some of the important keys to a great marriage). From this book, I am learning a lot about where I might have gone astray in previous relationships. Is it possible I have been wrong in my definition of what love and marriage should be and look like? Naaaaw! Well, ok, maybe a little.

I think I wanted to hear that if the right two people meet – it just all falls into place. And if it does not all fall into place, then it is the wrong partnership. After reading this book, Project Everlasting written by Mathew Boggs and Jason Miller, I realized this is not necessarily true.

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