Elderly couple reveals 3-minute 'nightly ritual' that has kept them giddy in love for 68 years

What keeps a relationship strong isn’t always the big milestones or dramatic gestures — more often, it’s the small, consistent things that say "I care" without actually needing to say it. These little things, as concluded in a 2016 study, are what most people identified as meaningful expressions of love. Participants pointed to everyday actions such as kindness, compliments, and genuine appreciation, as the gestures that made them feel most loved. For one couple who’ve spent nearly seven decades together, it’s a nightly three-minute ritual that has come to represent exactly that kind of enduring care. CBS Sunday Morning shared their story in a short feature, where Don explained how the 'nightly serenade' began.

Don and Marilyn Barnett, now 94 and 93, have been married for 68 years. They live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and each night, no matter where they are, Don sings to Marilyn before bed. "It's very simple, it's very easy to do," Don said. Just one song, just a few minutes, but it’s the one part of their day they never miss. They’ve been doing it for about 50 years. "I discovered a couple of things. First of all, it pleased her. And secondly, it calmed us. If we had a disagreement or something before, it was gone by the time we went to sleep," he said. Marilyn smiles softly beside him. "I just look forward to it. And he has a beautiful voice," she said in the interview. What began as a small, affectionate gesture has become a kind of anchor for them.

Their son Doug shared that it happens without fail, even when they’re away from home. "Whether they’re here, or in a hotel room, or in the hospital, it doesn’t matter. I’m not aware that they ever miss it," he said. Last month, Marilyn fell and broke her hip. She was in the hospital recovering, but the nightly singing didn’t stop. Don kept the ritual going, sitting beside her hospital bed and singing as he always does. "When you sing to your spouse, she realizes you really care enough to go out of your way, rather than just saying, 'Goodnight, honey,'" he said. CBS Sunday Morning also reshared the video on their Instagram @cbssundaymorning with the caption, "A nightly ritual of 94-year-old Don Barnett and his 93-year-old wife Marilyn may be the key to a lasting marriage — proving love is best expressed in song," and people were in awe of the heartwarming ritual.

@adtvic wrote, "Lesson: Pleasing your partner brings calmness to your life." @cindybobbitt commented, "Cried tears of endearment for this sweetness when I saw this today on Sunday Morning show." @19pretty_saditty08 added, "They are not making men like this anymore. God bless them, this is the sweetest thing." @jefwillemsen wrote, "Singing to your spouse is apparently also the secret to looking in your seventies while you're both approaching your mid 90s. Talk about vitality!" @jeanettethomas58 shared, "My husband sang to me so often! Usually in the morning and would always end up by saying 'there’s my pretty girl'! We were married 57 years! Precious memories… he died 6 months ago!"

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