Ten years is a big deal these days. While it is a big deal to hit the ten-year milestone in marriage, it still feels like we have so much more life to live together….

Now, with Valentine’s Day just past us, and the start of wedding season coming up soon after that, it is appropriate to open a discussion about marital success. To do this, I collected the thoughts and stories of several women who have been married for a minimum of seven years. I asked them specifically to respond to the following question:

“What makes marriage work? Please take a moment to share your 1-3 ideas about what you believe makes for a successful, lifelong, generally joyful, and fulfilled marriage.”