Have you ever stood on the banks of two great rivers and watched as the two merged into one?  Turbulence and white waters fight each other as the two finally settle and begin to flow.  I've often thought of that as I talk with couples about the merging of two lives--or for that matter, two families--which become one.  There is difficulty enough when two people bring different habits, cultures, and attitudes into a marriage, but when two families are blended, the factor of turbulence only multiplies.