National Spouse's Day

To all of you that are married, I wish you a Happy National Spouse's Day! Today is a day to celebrate the commitment to your partner. In a time where more married couples are splitting, rather than sticking it out, this day seems to hold a greater importance. In 2008, 71 269 divorces were finalized in Canada verses 147,288 marriages that occurred. On a positive note, three years prior to those statistics marked a very significant marital statistic: it was the year Canada legalized same-sex marriage (Thank you Paul Martin!)!

           

Marriage, historically, has many different origins. We tend to think of marriage as a religious act. However, with the many different religions today, many are not motivated to marry based on that criteria. Aside from the actual religious meaning of a marriage, the ceremony itself varies from country to country, and between each religion and/or cultural belief. While these reasons are certainly present today, many non-religious/non-traditional couples decide to marry for very different reasons. Why? I’m not sure. I’m not overly interested in getting married myself. I think, based on friends who have married for reasons other than for religious reasons, that a formal commitment and pressures from family are two of the greatest motivators to marry. The only thing I really know is that it’s not something to enter into lightly. 

For those of you planning a wedding, recently married or a seasoned spouse, what made you decide to marry? Perhaps more importantly, what’s your secret to making it work?