The cover story of the July 13, 2009 Time magazine is "Unfaithfully Yours." With the premise that "Infidelity is eroding our most sacred institution," author Caitlin Flanagan considers in her essay, "How to make marriage matter again."

Asking if there is hope for the American marriage, Flanagan discusses the affairs of Governor Mark Sanford and Senator John Ensign in the first 1/4th of the article. The rest of the article is focused on describing the breakdown of the "intact, two-parent family," the effects of divorce on children, the Gosselins' failing marriage, and what America needs to do to make marriage "matter."

Flanagan's answer? "It is time instead to come to terms with both our unrealistic expectations for a happy marriage and our equally unrealistic beliefs about the consequences of walking away from the families we build. The fundamental question we must ask ourselves at the beginning of the century is this: What is the purpose of marriage? ... What we teach about the true meaning of marriage will determine a great deal about our fate."

In a related photo slideshow, photographer Lauren Fleishman looks at couples married for 50 years. Two quotes we liked:

Theauther Love: "Love is sharing with one another. Don't care what you have you share what you have. And be willing to give. Another thing I tell people now is that you have to be able to bend a little bit."

Cathy Pastorino: "With love you have to trust each other. You need good communication."

Read Flanagan's article and let us know your thoughts. We think the purpose of marriage is more than raising kids.

We like what Dennis Weaver wrote about marriage, "By the nature of marriage, because the husband and wife live in such proximity, it is by far life's most critical relationship, and the one that allows us the grandest opportunity to express the purpose of life, which is to love and to be loved."

Although the movie "Bachelor in Paradise" didn't receive great reviews back in 1961, watching it tonight was fun. The movie stars Bob Hope and Lana Turner and has music by Henry Mancini.

Set in the suburbs, the movie was a flashback for us to 1960s' decor, music, architecture, cars, and fashion along with society's expectations of marriage when we married. I can't say the movie has any great message about marriage. But it did make us laugh and that's a pretty good way to spend an evening together.

Some days have more "aha" moments than others. Today, while reading through articles I saved in the "read later" program by Instapaper, I had a flashback and an awareness.

Jay Dixit in Psychology Today, wrote that you can have a more satisfying marriage if you live in the moment.

Over thirty years ago, when our premature daughter Susan Sarah was dying, Bob and I made the decision to live in the moment and to appreciate the moments, the "now" we had with Susan. The awareness today was that we have done a pretty good job of continuing to live "now" and to not allow the past or the future to take today away from us.

How do you live in the moment? What tips can you share to help others live in the moment? Share Your Tips

Whenever we see a commercial for the Bridezillas television show or read news about out of control brides and grooms, we cringe. Don't these people sense that their chances of having a happy marriage are slim?

Dr. John Gottman has a mathematical equation that predicts with 94 percent accuracy whether or not a marriage will last. Now, a wedding planner, Samantha Goldberg, shares five signs that "are predictors of whether a couple will live happily ever after or bite the dust."

The signs that Goldberg mentions in the Cosmopolitan article include choosing the wedding cake, interferring mothers, the wedding dress, the bachelor party, and how a couple argues. We agree with her.

Red flags are warning signs. They are alerts that things are not right in a relationship and that the couple needs help. There are ways that a couple can lower their odds for divorce before they marry.

Goldberg shared an example of an engaged couple she refused to work with because she was sure the marriage wouldn't last. It would be great if wedding officiants made the same decision when they recognized a couple in trouble. A couple could then postpone the wedding and attend an additional premarital workshop if they truly want a successful marriage.

Photo: Don Farrall / Getty Images