The basis of a healthy marriage is mutual respect and love. The activities we've presented here can help build both of these qualities or clearly point out areas where they may be lacking. As you work together, you'll be getting information from your partner or giving information about yourself. Marriage is a beginning, not an end. It can provide the opportunity for partners to talk to each other without the roles and images that keep them from knowing each other as people. In a healthy marriage no one can be a spectator. Both partners must be participants. In this book, marriage is viewed as the decision of two people, each a complete individual, to add positive strength to a common lifestyle. The goal of this relationship is to nurture and cherish the other-- as each would cherish themselves--and to provide a safe harbor which honors growth and change.