(From Weekend Edition Saturday piece on the book All There Is: Love Stories From StoryCorps by Dave Isay)
Advice for a successful marriage from an eighty-five year old man, who described a drive he took with his wife shortly after returning from service in World War II. Along the road in Philadelphia, he spotted a sign that spelled out “Things Always to Say to Your Loved One:”
You look great.
Can I help?
Lets eat out.
I am sorry.
I love you.
The man took those rules to heart, Isay says. Those simple statements “guided their marriage for fifty-three years, two months and five days. That pretty much sums it up.”