Anyone that has been married knows that there are always ups and downs. The ups are fabulous, but the downs can be heart-breaking and tiring. Here is a little story to help married couples, and those planning their wedding, to remember the important things in life:

Heather and Mark celebrated their love by getting married. After the reception, Heather’s mother gave her a new bank savings book with a deposit of R1000.

“Heather, take this savings book and keep it as a record of your marriage. When something happy and good happens in your new life, deposit some money. Write next to the amount what it was for. The more memorable the event, the more money you should deposit. I’ve made the first deposit for you today. Do the others with Mark. When you look back after years, you will know how much happiness you’ve shared.”

Heather and Mark thought that it was a great idea and couldn’t wait to make the second deposit.

After some time, they had the following entries:

• 7 February – R100 (Mark’s first birthday celebration as a married man)
• 20 March – R200 (first holiday as a married couple)
• 15 April – R2000 (Heather is pregnant!)
• 1 June – R1000 (Mark got promoted)
• 2 December – R3000 (Lincoln is born!)
• Etc…

Five years passed, and Heather and Mark started fighting. They stopped talking and having fun together, preferring to remain in their quiet corners. They regretted that they had married one another and felt no more love.

Heather talked to her mother. She told her that she wanted a divorce and would never be able to be happy with a person like Mark.

“Ok”, said her mother, “do what you think is best if you really can’t stand it. But, before you do, do something for me first. Remember the savings book I gave you on your wedding day? Take all the money and spend it first. You wouldn’t want any memories of such a terrible marriage”.

Heather agreed completely, went to the bank and stood in the queue to close the account. While she was waiting, she took a look at the savings book record. As she read each entry, she remembered the joy and happiness that she had felt in her marriage. Her eyes filled with tears.

She went home, and handed the savings book to Mark, asking him to spend the money before getting divorced.

The next day, Mark handed the savings book back to Heather. Her heart dropped.

But, when she opened it, she found that a new deposit of R5000 was made. Next to it, Mark had written “Today, I realised how much I’ve loved you through the years and how much happiness you’ve brought me.”

They put the savings book back in the safe.

This article was posted by Celebration.co.za - South Africa Wedding Guide.