Love and marriage

Many years ago in China, a young woman named Li-Li married and moved in with her husband and mother-in-law. She soon found it difficult to get along with her mother-in-law. Their personalities were very different, and they argued frequently. These quarrels offended traditional expectations of family harmony and upset everyone around them.

After several months, the constant fighting had made life unbearable for Li-Li and her husband. Hoping to find a way out, she went to an old friend of her father’s, a spice merchant, and told him her troubles. He prepared an herbal mixture and told her to add a little to her mother-in-law’s food each day for three months. He said the poison would act so gradually that no one would suspect the daughter-in-law of the mother-in-law’s death.

To avoid arousing suspicion, especially her husband’s, he told Li-Li to treat her mother-in-law kindly and cook the most delicious dishes for her. Delighted, Li-Li went home and followed his instructions.

Each day she prepared delicious meals and added a little of the supposed poison. She was careful to be kind, so as not to arouse suspicion. In time, her mother-in-law’s attitude changed, and she began treating Li-Li like her own daughter. Overcome with remorse, Li-Li returned to the spice merchant and begged him for an antidote. She no longer wanted her mother-in-law to die.

The old man laughed gently. “Dear Li-Li, all I gave you was vitamins. The real poison was in your mind. As you treated her with kindness, that poison gave way to love. Now you have become like mother and daughter.”

Moral: The real poison often lies in our own thoughts. When we treat others with love, hatred can fade and enemies can become friends.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

Wise elders offered the following counsel to a young couple beginning married life:

“Do not compare your marriage with anyone else’s. Do not say, ‘Look at what that person’s husband is like,’ or ‘Look at what that person’s wife is like.’

Do not look for a flawless person; none of us is flawless. Do not dig into each other’s past—let what has passed stay in the past.

Do not expect your spouse to read your mind. No one can. Speak openly about your wishes and concerns, and try to resolve difficulties through conversation.

Accept that alongside your shared life, each of you has a private world. Hedgehogs draw only as close as their spines allow; if they move too near, they hurt one another. Respect each other’s personal boundaries.

In marriage, be neither owner nor slave, but companions on the same road.

Do not promise, ‘Everything will always be wonderful.’ Say instead, ‘When life becomes difficult, I will be beside you.’

Even if you have been upset with each other during the day, remember to say good night before going to sleep. Let tomorrow begin with reconciliation.”

Moral: A happy marriage rests not on comparison or the pursuit of perfection, but on open communication, mutual respect, and care for each other’s personal boundaries.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

Why do people shout when they argue? If the person is right next to you, why do you need to shout? Can't you talk to him calmly? Why do you shout when you get angry?

When people quarrel, their hearts draw apart. They have to shout in order to cross that distance and hear each other. The angrier they become, the louder they shout.

But what happens when people fall in love?

They do not shout; on the contrary, they speak softly. Their hearts are very close, and the distance between them is very small.

What happens when their love grows stronger?

They no longer need to speak loudly; they whisper, and love draws them closer still. In the end even a whisper is unnecessary: they look at each other and understand everything without words. Two people who love each other become this close.

So when you argue, do not let your hearts drift apart. Avoid words that widen the distance between you. One day, it may become so great that you cannot find your way back.

Moral: Shouting reflects the distance between hearts. Even in an argument, choose words that leave a way back to each other.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

I had just graduated from university and begun teaching. One day, I was in the staff room marking exam papers. I was correcting some of the girls’ wrong answers so that they would get a good grade and move up to the next class.

A man came in and asked why I was changing their answers. “If these girls fail,” I explained, “their fathers will take them out of school and marry them off at twelve or thirteen. If they move up, their marriage age will be at least fifteen or sixteen. In that time, even the least motivated student is bound to learn something.”

About half an hour later, the principal called me in and asked what I had been doing in the staff room. I told him I had been marking papers.

“You met someone in the staff room. What did you say to him?” he asked.

“Did he complain about me?” I asked.

“Quite the opposite. He told me he had come to inspect the school, but that there was no need.”

“Why not?” I asked in surprise.

“He said, ‘You have a wise young teacher. Please pass on my thanks.’”

Moral: A teacher’s small act of care can change a girl’s fate. Early marriage can rob children of their education; we must not turn a blind eye to it.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

Write your quarrels on leaves, so that when autumn comes the leaves dry and fall, and the quarrel disappears.

Write your anger on clouds, so that rain falls, the clouds scatter, and the anger disappears.

Write your hatred on snow, so that the sun comes out, the snow melts, and the hatred disappears.

Write friendship and love on the hearts of newborn children, so that as they grow, both spread throughout the world.

Moral: Write quarrels, anger, and hatred on passing things so they disappear with them. Write friendship and love on hearts, so that they live and spread through the world.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

Do you know why it is said "I kiss your eyes"?

The eyes suffer the pain of longing most of all. That is why they most deserve the reunion.

Moral: The one who has longed the most deserves the reunion most. Love repays the one who has borne its labor.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

They say a nightingale fell in love with a white rose… Every night he would go and perch beside her and declare his love. But the white rose ignored his feelings and paid no heed to his devotion.

One day the nightingale gathered all his courage, perched beside the white rose again, and said he loved her madly. But the rose snapped: “Leave me alone — I don’t love you!” and scolded him. However much he insisted, the rose rejected him.

The love was so strong that the nightingale, shaken by despair, begged the rose’s forgiveness, pulled a thorn from her, drove it into his own heart with all his strength, and dyed the pure white rose red with his blood!

The rose understood, though late, that he had truly loved her very much. But what was the use? It was already too late. Beneath the branches of the rose dyed red, the nightingale closed his eyes forever.

Since that day, red roses have meant “I LOVE YOU.”

Moral: Affection may go unrecognized until it is too late. Know the worth of the one you love in time, so you never have to say it is already too late.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

Two friends were talking.

“I think I’ve fallen for someone.”

“That’s wonderful! Does she know?”

“No.”

“Why don’t you go up to her and tell her?”

“I would, but I’m afraid of losing my peace. Right where I stand I’ll get into trouble and fall in love. We’d start going to the movies and the theater, walking hand in hand. Then there might be quarrels, apologies, ‘Why did you look at her?’ and ‘Why did you look at this one?’ If we’re going to break up in the end, why go through it all?”

“It’s better that I just love her from afar.”

Moral: Fear of losing someone can keep us from expressing our feelings. Yet a love never lived is a loss of its own.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

In ancient times there was a custom in Turkish villages: a bride’s dowry included, along with other items, a purple chepken, a traditional jacket. It lay at the bottom of her chest, with the hope that she would never wear it.

The purple chepken was a garment that could ruin a man. If a woman put it on and went out onto the roof, the chimney, or the village square — anywhere everyone could see — it was a public appeal for help. It meant: “I do not love my husband, he torments me, I married unwillingly, I want a divorce, I am in a grave situation, help me.” The villagers were expected to protect her, while her husband faced public shame.

The custom encouraged husbands to settle family grievances without violence, with kindness, respect, and compromise. They knew what it would mean if their wives wore the purple jacket.

A man whose wife made this appeal faced divorce and found it difficult to marry again. Everyone knew that a man who drove his wife to wear the purple chepken could not be a husband. No one would give a daughter again to a man who showed a woman no respect and used violence. It is said that, for this reason, the number of women subjected to violence was almost zero.

When a woman appeared in the jacket, flowing waters would stop, and daily work would stop. Women put aside their milking, spinning, and weaving. Mothers and grandmothers gathered to defend her.

Music and celebrations fell silent. Her distress was treated with the gravity of a death in the community.

Her husband faced such disgrace that he could not go outside, could not go to the teahouse, and nobody would look him in the face.

Moral: Violence against women is unacceptable. When society considers it a duty of conscience to protect women, there is no room for oppression.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

If you water a rose too much, it will rot; if you water it too little, it will wither; if you water it right, it will live.

Moral: In both love and upbringing, measure is essential. Too much control can harm, just as neglect can; attentive care helps life flourish.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

On a sunny day in the park, a woman told the man beside her that the boy in the red shirt on the swings was her son. The man smiled and said that the boy in blue was his son, Jamil.

After a while, he checked his watch and called:

“Jamil, it is time to go home.”

“Five more minutes, Dad, please!”

The father agreed. Later he called again, but the boy asked for another five minutes. Once more, the man said yes.

The woman remarked admiringly:

“You are a very patient father.”

The man answered with a sorrowful smile:

“This isn’t patience. Last year my older son, Kamal, was hit by a drunk driver on a nearby road. I had never given him enough of my time. Now I would give anything for five more minutes with him. I promised myself I wouldn’t make the same mistake with Jamil.”

“He thinks that each time he has gained five more minutes of play. But I am the one who gains: I live the happiness of watching my son for five more minutes.”

Moral: Every extra moment with those you love is a gift. Before it is too late, give them five more minutes today.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

This is what happened between a father and his newly married young son.

The father asked his newly married son for a sheet of white paper, a pencil, and an eraser.

“Why?”

“Just bring them.”

The son found paper and a pencil, but no eraser.

“Then go and buy one.”

Puzzled, the son bought an eraser and sat down beside him.

“Write something.”

“What should I write?”

“Anything you like.”

The son wrote a sentence.

“Now erase it.”

He erased it.

“Write another sentence.”

“For God’s sake, father, what do you want?”

“Write one more.”

The son wrote again, and his father asked him to erase it.

After repeating this several times, the father asked:

“Is the paper still white?”

“Yes. But what does that mean?”

His father rested a hand on his shoulder.

“A marriage needs an eraser too, son. You must be able to forgive some of your spouse’s mistakes and let them pass. Your spouse must also have such an eraser, so that your mistakes can be erased. Otherwise, the page you share will soon be covered with them.”

“If you want love and respect, offer them to each other. And remember the eraser.”

Moral: Marriage is the art of forgiveness. For love and respect to continue, both parties must be able to "erase" each other's flaws.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

The divorce of an eighty-year-old couple was being heard, and their condition saddened everyone. The woman was firmly silent, and her eyes were sunken from crying. The judge gently asked:

“Tell me, auntie, why do you want a divorce?”

After taking a deep breath, the old woman began to speak in a choked voice:

“This man has worn me out; for exactly fifty years he has made me weary of life,” she said, and fell silent.

The courtroom fell silent, interrupted only by a journalist’s camera flash. Who knows what headline the papers would give this after fifty years of life. Many journalists were following the trial. What would she say? Everyone was listening. The old woman's eyes filled, and she continued: “I had a mother-of-pearl flower that I loved very much. He doesn’t know. I grew it from a leaf taken from flowers he gave me fifty years ago. We never had children, so I regarded this flower as my child. One day, it began to wither.”

“I promised to get up before dawn every night to water it. In fifty years, he never once got up at night and said, ‘Let me water this flower.’ Until last night. Last night my strength gave out, I had fallen asleep, and I could not wake. I spent fifty years with such a man. I have given him my life, my hopes, everything, and received nothing in return. I assure you, I can live my life better without him.”

The judge turned to the elder:

“Do you have anything to say, grandfather?”

Leaning on his cane, with a guilty look on his face, he turned to the judge and began:

“I was a gardener during my military service. I worked so that the garden would grow beautiful and healthy. That was where I met Fatima. I used to bring her the finest flowers I could grow. Soon after we married, she complained of neck pain, so I took her to a doctor. He told us that if she slept a long time without waking, the muscles in her neck would stiffen and her condition would worsen. He advised her to break her sleep every night, wake, and walk a little, but she wouldn’t listen to either of us. In those days our flower happened to begin to wither. I told her it would recover if she got up at night to water it. I asked her to promise, and she did.”

“Every night, I woke her and watched her water the flower she regarded as her child. Seeing her care for it, I felt as though I were that flower.”

He paused, then continued:

“Every night after she fell asleep, I got up to empty the excess water from the pot. It is not good to water a mother-of-pearl flower at night, Your Honor. Last night, I could not wake up either. We’re getting old. The flower could have gone one night without water, but my wife’s condition could have grown worse. She blamed me for not waking her. I said nothing.”

At that moment everyone in the hall, including the journalists, was in tears…

Moral: Love is sometimes hidden not in words, but in care carried quietly for years. Let us protect the one we love, and let us keep from breaking hearts.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

The red dress was hanging in my mother's wardrobe. It seemed to shine next to the worn, faded clothes she had worn all her life.

When I came to my mother’s bedside, I could see that she was nearing the end of her life.

Seeing the red dress, I said to her:

“What a beautiful dress, Mom. I’ve never seen you wear it.”

“I never have,” she said softly. “Sit beside me, my beautiful girl. I want to give you a lesson before I leave this world.”

I sat down on the edge of the bed. My mother took a deep breath. “I don’t have much time left,” she said and continued:

“I thought I had always taught you good things. Now I realize I taught you many wrong things.”

“What do you mean, Mom?”

“Listen to me. I believed a good woman should always put everyone else first. Their wishes mattered; mine were crushed under everyone else’s. Who knows, perhaps one day my own wishes would have come true too, but that day never came. My whole life became a sacrifice for your father and all of you children.”

“That’s true, Mom. You did everything a mother could do.”

“Ah, my girl, nothing I did for you or for them did me any good. Do you understand? I never wanted anything for myself. Your father is sitting in the next room, upset and staring at the walls. When the doctor told him I was dying, he came in and said:”

“You must not die, do you hear me? What will I do after you?”

“My girl, I always burned myself out for you. Seven days a week, I was always the first in the house to get up and the last to go to bed. I always ate the burned bread and the smallest pieces. Every penny I had saved went on your clothes and books, even things you didn’t really need. Not once in my life did I go out shopping and buy myself anything lovely. I only bought that red dress you saw last year. I had a little money saved for the washing-machine repair. When I brought the dress home, your father upset me terribly.”

“Where do you think you’ll wear that? To the opera?” he asked.

“Actually, he was right. I never wore that dress except when I tried it on in the shop.”

“I used to think that someone who forgets herself in this world would be happy in the next. Now I think Allah wants us to fulfill our wishes in this world, while we are still alive. If a miracle happened and I could get up from this bed, I would live completely differently.”

These were my mother’s last words to me:

“Promise me you won’t do what I did.”

I promised my mother and she breathed her last.

Moral: A person who always forgets herself one day realizes she never lived her own wishes. Love others, but also know the worth of your own life.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

There was an island where all the feelings lived.

One day news spread that the island was sinking. The feelings began to prepare in haste to leave.

Love was in no hurry to leave. She waited until the last moment, as if sure a miracle would save her. When the island was almost gone, Love finally decided to ask for help.

At that moment Wealth was sailing away in a very large boat.

Love asked: “Wealth, can you take me with you?” Wealth said: “No, I can’t. My boat is full of gold and silver — there is no room for you.”

Love then turned to Arrogance, sailing in a beautiful sailboat, and asked for help: “Arrogance, please help me.”

Arrogance replied, “I cannot help you, Love. You are soaking wet; you will ruin my sail.”

Sadness was nearby. Love asked him too: “Sadness, may I come with you?”

Sadness said: “Oh, Love, I am so sad that I need to be alone.”

Happiness was not far from Love, yet so excited that she did not hear Love’s call.

Suddenly a voice said: “Love, come with me.” Love was so glad that it did not even occur to her to ask who her savior was. When they reached the shore, the one who had helped Love left her there and went on.

On the shore, realizing how much she owed, Love told a wise person what had happened and asked: “Who was it that helped me?”

The wise one answered: “It was Time.”

“Time? But why did Time help me?” Love asked.

The wise one smiled: “Because only Time knows how important and precious Love is.”

Moral: Only time knows the worth of true love. Time keeps sincere love alive and lets the false fade into forgetfulness.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

What a woman has endured in this world...

Even in fairy tales, they made her either a witch or a stepmother...

What didn’t they say about a woman in the stories.

They would not let her be herself. They should have known her as a person who gives life, raises children, and loves without expecting anything in return.

Woman...

They told her that her hair was long and her mind was short.

“Your hands are covered in flour. Sit where you belong. Don’t interfere with anyone.”

Woman, how much you have endured.

Few people knew your worth.

Few people could see your love, your heart, your goodness.

They called you wicked when you asked for your rights and virtuous when you kept silent.

When you showed your love, some thought they were your master.

Sometimes, those you raised to the heavens with your love preferred to stay there and forgot about you.

They did not ask what was going on or how you were.

They never asked whether you were there or not.

They forgot that you had a soul.

They forgot that you were human.

They made you ill, crushed you, and treated you as nothing.

Yet you wanted only to beautify, to help, and to change things toward the good.

Your soul wandered in this world in need of love.

They talked about heaven and made you experience hell.

They looked into your eyes and denied even what they saw there. They would not hear the cry within you.

What you loved most was being a mother and looking with love into your child’s eyes. In this world, only your child’s embrace felt sincere to you.

Moral: There can be no peace or love where a woman is not valued. It is the duty of society to see her work and heart.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

It is not forgetting,

Not turning your back on someone on a difficult day,

Not closing the doors...

Not laughing when your friend is crying,

Loyalty is sharing every pain with him...

It is not just a word...

Loyalty means sharing your friend's state,

Balm for the wounded,

Water for the thirsty,

Loyalty is understanding: not discarding a rose because it has thorns.

Moral: Loyalty means not leaving someone on a hard day, and not throwing away the rose because of its thorn. It is not a word, but a deed.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

A man asked a dervish:

“Can a broken heart love again?”

“Yes, it can,” the dervish replied.

“But have you ever drunk water from a broken vessel?” the man asked.

“Tell me,” said the dervish, “have you ever given up drinking water because a vessel broke?”

Moral: Even if the heart is broken, it does not stop loving. Just as one does not stop drinking water because a vessel is broken, so too does a person continue to love.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

A woman wakes up in the morning and looks in the mirror. She sees that she has three strands of hair left on her head.

“I’ll braid my hair today,” she decided. She did, and had a lovely day.

The next day she wakes up and looks in the mirror again... She sees that she has two strands of hair left on her head.

“I’ll part it down the middle.” She did, and had another lovely day.

The next day she wakes up and sees in the mirror that she has only one strand of hair left on her head.

“Never mind, so be it,” she says. “I’ll make a ponytail today too.” She does, and spends a truly splendid day.

Another day she looks in the mirror and sees that she has no hair left on her head.

“Wonderful!” she exclaimed. “Today I won’t have to do my hair at all.”

Moral: Our outlook on life affects our mood. Do not expect happiness only from someone else; even on a hard day, try to find a reason to rejoice.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

In earlier times, yellow flowers placed in a house window meant, “Someone in this home is ill; please do not make noise as you pass.” Red flowers conveyed a different message: “A young woman who has come of age lives here; please mind your words.”

Moral: Respect for people can sometimes be shown with a delicate sign. You do not always need to raise your voice in order to give a warning.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.