Wisdom for a Happy Marriage : หน้า 37/62

ERVICE S Luang Phaw Dhammajayo shared his words of wisdom on a couple's life, which was to: "Smile always, stay serene and be subtle-minded and then his heart will surrender". These words inculcated strength into my inner spirit and helped me remove my temper, leaving me a calmer person who always beams with delight each time I receive his vibrant roses. In the past, I was accustomed to letting the bitterness and hatred run deep for days and even came up with clever ways to retaliate. Such resentful preoccupation turned me into nothing but an emotional freak with a perpetually frowning face. My incorporation of the happy marriage formula - 'Smile, be serene and be subtle-minded' - into everyday practice brought about a major change, which my husband in particular noticed and felt. He appreciated the effort that I was putting in towards making our marriage work and eventually one day, he 'surrendered' his heart. My husband approached me with a request for me to pledge a life-long commitment: "You have to grow old with me", he said. The request indeed was testimony to his unquestionable love and deep longing for me. Michael was a man of high stature - he was well-groomed, smart and successful, career wise and financial wise and he is hence popular with the opposite sex. I am just an ordinary woman, who has had my personality carved to near perfection by Luang Phaw's words. "Do things in the right place at the right time. Just like a house that comprises several rooms for different purposes, a complete family life is made up of several respective roles that need to be fulfilled. To be an ideal wife, you simply have to be accomplished and competent in all the roles required of you. For instance, let your family be served with the best meal at the dinner table, let your husband be relaxed while he is in the living room and engage in a light-hearted conversation with him to ease his soul." Upon hearing this advice, I smiled with relief at myself for discovering the sought after solution to my marital problem. Having a string of responsibilities such as juggling time between raising two kids and arranging new home purchases on top of adjusting to a lifestyle in an unfamiliar social environment, I was busy almost everyday and the heightened stress loosened my grip on emotional expressions. Unfortunately, my firstborn, Ilan, the focal destination of all affections, PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com