With the wedding of our daughter, Jody Rose, last summer, and the release of BLOSSOM STREET BRIDES, wedding ceremonies and brides have been on my mind.  I was reminded of a shower given several years back in which everyone was asked to give the bride advice on how to have a successful marriage.  I remember that some of the suggestions were hilarious:  Don’t ever pick up his dirty socks or Have plenty of chicken recipes on hand.  And some were real pearls of wisdom, such as:  Stay close to God.  Make dinner together a priority. Never go to bed angry with one another.  The sharing was great fun and as applicable now as it was then.  Like all married couples, Wayne and I have gone through a few rough patches but I’ve managed to have plenty of chicken recipes on hand and we’ve never gone to bed angry . . . okay, almost never.