Archive for May, 2010
May 12, 2010
To rekindle the romance take a trip down memory lane. Share with each other your first impressions and what initially attracted you to each other.
Listening, Not Defending
We are in a busy time in the academic year and a number of different events and activities are converging to create some stress. We have certainly grown more adept at staying connected in this stress, but there are times, like last night, when the stress breaks through in conversation.
May 11, 2010
“Couples with two jobs, two cars and two kids say they're often too tired, too stressed and too bored when they do manage to find one-on-one time” (Dr. John Friel). If this sounds familiar, do you have the courage to simplify your life?
Love seeks the good
From God Is Love [Love] seeks the good of the beloved: it becomes renunciation and it is ready, and even willing, for sacrifice.
Do You Make Good Travel Companions?
Traveling with your spouse is a great opportunity to grow closer and spend time together. Knowing one another′s preferences when it comes to travel, however, can make all the difference between a dream getaway and a nightmare vacation.
One of the seven sacraments of the New Covenant
From On the Family The Church has solemnly taught and continues to teach that the marriage of the baptized is one of the seven sacraments of the New Covenant.
May 10, 2010
Who is the black sheep in your family? Your spouse's family? Love them anyway. Even if you wouldn't pick some relatives as your best friends, they helped form your spouse.
May 9, 2010
(Mother's Day) Husbands, your wife is not your mother, but your mother probably set a tone for how you regard women. If it was a healthy model, thank your mother. If it wasn't, don't live in the past. Change it.
Conjugal charity
From On the Family Conjugal charity… is the proper and specific way in which the spouses participate in and are called to live the very charity of Christ who gave himself on the cross.
A covenant
From Letter to Families from Pope John Paul II for 1994 – Year of the Family The family originates in a marital communion… a “covenant”, in which man and woman “give themselves to each other and accept each other.”
May 8, 2010
Religious people sometimes debate who has the hardest vocation– a priest who lives a celibate life, a single person who lives in solitude, a single parent who does double duty? Or perhaps it is the married couple who constantly refine each other.
More Updates
Sarah talks about the start of childbirth classes and asks for advice: Should she and Daniel continue to teach religious education classes next year?
In family life we experience fundamental elements of peace
From The Human Family, A Community of Peace Message of Pope Benedict XVI for World Day of Peace 2008 In a health family life we experience some fundamental elements of peace: readiness to accept others and, if necessary, to forgive them.
May 7, 2010
“One of the best things about mariage is that it gets young people to bed at a decent hour” (M. M. Musselman). Have you worked out compatible bedtimes? If not, when do you cuddle?
Marriage Makes a Difference
The Christian Family Movement has developed a new resource, excellent for groups, based on CFM’s proven “Observe, Judge, Act” model.
A unique good for children
From Address of Pope Benedict XVI at the Fifth World Meeting of Families [The family] is a unique good for children, who are meant to be the fruit of the love, of the total and generous self-giving of their parents.
May 6, 2010
Although flexibility is important in a marriage, sometimes relationships break down when one partner takes life too loosely. It's hard when you don't know if you can depend on your spouse to meet a deadline or commitment.
Even Seriously Distressed Marriages Can Be Helped
If both spouses want to make their marriage work, even greatly troubled marriages can benefit from professional therapy, according to the newly published findings of a study led by Andrew Christensen, professor of psychology at the University of California Los Angeles. He stressed that while “it takes only one person to end a marriage,” it [...]
Marriage and Family: Essential for the Common Good
A strong future for marriage is both achievable and desirable,” according to a statement by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales issued in anticipation of Britain’s May 6 general election. Titled “Choosing the Common Good,” the statement urges voters to reflect on what “a society worth living in” requires. Public-policy that supports marriage [...]
The rendering of one’s whole being into a gift
From Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan Participating in the creative work of God means… the rendering of one’s whole being into a gift.
May 5, 2010
Do you have a system for deciding who does the household chores? You can divide them up, alternate, or do them together. Is your current system fair or is it time to renegotiate?
“The Marriage Ref” is Out of Bounds
I quite literally nearly laughed my butt off one night when we were watching The Office.
It was the episode where Jim and Pam had their baby. I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard in a long time. On. The. Floor…
As I wiped away tears from my eyes, we remained on our couch to see the launching of a new NBC initiative: “The Marriage Ref.”
The loving communion of the spouses
From Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan The loving communion of the spouses is the primary context in which children are both conceived and brought up in love.
May 4, 2010
“Try praising your wife, even if it does frighten her at first” (Billy Sunday). A compliment carries more weight if it's specific and true. Each day, look for something to praise about your spouse.
May 3, 2010
Babies are cute, but they can put a damper on a couple's sex life and just plain tire you out. It takes both of you to raise them. Help each other out.
