This book celebrates love and lasting relationships. You chose to read this book because you want your relationship to be fulfilling and lasting. I believe that marriage can last a lifetime. I have tried to find the secret ingredients in making a relationship last. Life rarely offers us a smooth journey. There are difficult times, as our "couple stories" have related. There may be differences in partner's race and personality. There will be challenges caused by life stressors. All of these events impact on the relationship. I hope that couples reading this book can use the information we have shared about our struggles with extended family, with dual careers, with death, illness, homosexuality, and with parenting issues. Each story describes different challenges to the relationship. Some stories may involve similar stressors to those you've experienced in your relationship. We hope our sharing assists you in coping with your challenges.