Lovely article!
My observations have shown me that time itself is not a good test. I did things "right" with my ex-husband, knew him for three years before we got married, and he changed the moment the vows were said and I began to see the narcissistic control-freak I lived with for the next 9 years.

Then, there are people who found each other, fell in love immediately and were still together...
And high school sweethearts that I knew in school, who married early and are still together.

But as you point out, communication is the main thing - when people stop talking, they stop understanding each other and that's when things go bad...
I'm glad you took care of that!

I found your post thanks to @rembertomarsada's Pay it Forward Curation Contest entry. Keep up the great work!