A reporter, interviewing a couple who were nearing their 50th wedding anniversary, asked them the secret for their long and successful marriage. The husband said that he learned the secret from his father-in-law.
A few weeks before the day of the wedding, the young man asked his future father-in-law what he could do to make his wife-to-be happy. He received his answer in a small package given to him by his father-in-law the morning of the wedding. "This," said the father-in-law, "is all you need to know to make your marriage work."
Opening the package, the husband-to-be found a gold pocket watch. Inscribed across the cover of the watch where he would be sure to see it several times a day was the message: "Say something nice to Sarah."
It seems simple enough to do, but from your own family life you are probably aware that compliments and praise are not always part of the daily routine. However, they very easily could be if we acted upon our intuitions more often. It’s just that family is generally, and too often, taken for granted. Consequently, little things are overlooked. Yet it’s those little things that make strong and lasting bonds.
A daily compliment is a small enough thing. Let the encouragement of others spring to your lips freely and easily. St. Augustine gave some sage advice when he said, "You aspire to great things? Begin with little ones."
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