Before I was married my grandmother took me aside and advised that the one thing she found that keeps a married couple hopeful and happy is when they ask each other questions and then genuinely listen.

Too often, she said, people ask questions to be polite, but don’t really want to know the answer.  When you’re married, every day is different so each person will have new feelings about the day, and most especially about what’s ahead.

If you want a fresh life ask your husband or wife what they think and then listen.  Don’t worry, most of the time they’ll figure out their problems as they open up to you.  But when you give them a soft ear, you receive a soft heart in return.

After school was out I got a summer job.  My family was poor, so the extra money would really help.  But once I got the cash in my pocket, I spent it on my friends. Certain they would be impressed, I paid for everything from burgers to movies.  I thought I was important.

Wrong. It backfired! My friends spent that summer borrowing money from me over and over again, never once paying me back.  Eventually they stopped coming around, because I got tired of feeling used.

Once I finally woke up and started helping my family, I began to change from the inside out.  I gave my best to my family, first, because their appreciation is what mattered most. (Funny, after that my friends began to sincerely respect me.)

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence was a way of life for me.  No matter what I was doing, I wondered what I was missing, so hurried on my way.

When I crossed over I saw the completion of important opportunities I had passed by in my haste. Had I not been in such a hurry, outcomes left and right would have turned out so much better for me.

The best things in life are worth the extra time and effort they take, because in the end you prove to yourself what was important.  Be important to you.  Stick with what you started!