Remember the Sweet Things: One List, Two Lives, and Twenty Years of Marriage

For most of her life Ellen Greene had been unlucky in love. She married young, only to divorce before the age of 30, leaving her to raise two young children alone. In her late 30s an ill-fated relationship took her and her children across the country, but when the relationship soon dissolved, Ellen knew it was time to put her life together. And she did-quickly securing a job she loved and convincing herself never again to be at the mercy of a man who didn't treat her or her children right.

Then came Marsh Greene. Twenty years her senior, Marsh wasn't like other men-he was kind, courteous, and treated her like an equal. Ellen had decided to keep a list of all the terrible things Marsh did so that when it was time to end the relationship, she could do so without regrets. But after six months, the list was blank, and Ellen decided instead to write down all of Marsh's thoughtful gestures. For the twenty years of their marriage, Ellen would steal moments here and there to jot down deeds big and small (from cleaning ice off her car unprompted to helping her son with his homework), and every Valentine's Day she would give him a copy of the entries she had made that year. Tragically, Marsh died in 2006, but the list created a lasting legacy of his caring outlook.

An unabashed love story, REMEMBER THE SWEET THINGS is a memoir of a marriage we can all learn from. Ellen Greene takes us throughout her marriage--from a round-the-world sailing trip after Marsh's retirement to her beloved daughter's wedding to Marsh's valiant fight against Parkinson's Disease--interspersing these accounts with excerpts from the "Sweet Things List." This book uses a singular conceit to portray the nurturing and attentiveness essential for a successful relationship. Elegantly written, it offers touching insights into how we can be more loving towards the people in our lives, and shows us how love manifests itself in the small things.