23 Years Running: Dela and Don Jackson Say Love is Forgiving

Royal Oak has its fair share of lovebirds, so we decided to check in with a few of them before Valentine's Day and ask them to share relationship and date night secrets.

Today we take a closer look at what makes Don and Dela Jackson so sweet.

How long have you been together?  

23 years this coming August.

What’s the secret to a successful and happy relationship?

Communication, understanding, forgiving, faithfulness, and the ability to put sacrificing your own wants and needs behind that of your partner's. Also, the ability to be able to say (as well as accept) "I'm sorry."

What famous couple do you emulate?

There's really not one particular "famous" couple we try and emulate. We try and emulate any positive traits from any good couple that we know of, much in the same way we emulate parenting skills from positive parents we've come across in our lives.

Why did you settle in Royal Oak, and how long have you lived here?

We've settled in Royal Oak since 1998, when Don's job included free rent in an apartment in Royal Oak. After enrolling our sons in the Royal Oak School system, we decided to buy a house here as soon as we could.

What’s your favorite romantic night out in Royal Oak and why?

An evening out in Royal Oak for us (although rare, we are somewhat homebodies with school and other activites for our sons) includes dining at one of a variety of restaurants (Mr. B's, Pronto!, National Coney Island just to name a few) either after or before taking in a movie. We've been to Emagine, and are still working on getting to Vinsetta Garage.

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