Founded and given life by love

From Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan The family, which is founded and given life by love, is a community of persons: of husband and wife, of parents and children, of relatives.

September 12, 2010

Weekly Date Idea: If tent camping is a new experience for you, try it, you might like it. Borrow a tent, sleeping bags, and some advice from a veteran camper and spend a night in the woods – or at least a backyard. Snuggle, tell ghost stories, and roast marshmallows.

Like the Persons of the Trinity

From Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan Like the Persons of the Trinity, marriage is a communion of love between co-equal persons.

To be created in the image and likeness of God

From Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan To be created in the image and likeness of God means… that human beings reflect …the communal life of the Trinity.

September 11, 2010

Give your spouse a “verbal vitamin” today. Saying “I love you” is nice but it’s more potent when combined with, “and I liked the clever way you handled our child’s tantrum in the supermarket today.” Be specific and truthful.

Settling Into Fall

Last Friday I was pleasantly surprised by scrambled eggs, a strawberry banana smoothie, coffee, and chocolate cheerios (yum!) in bed. Okay, part of that was a lie. It was my birthday, so I was actually expecting it… but that didn’t make it any less pleasant!

The icon of the relationship between God and his people

From God Is Love Marriage based on exclusive and definitive love becomes the icon of the relationship between God and his people.

September 10, 2010

“If you didn’t want to be improved, you shouldn’t have gotten married.” (Nancy Stanley, wife of popular marriage educator) What would you like to improve about your spouse? Share this only if both of you have a doable improvement to suggest and both are willing to hear it.

Accept fully and without reserve

From Address of Pope John Paul II at the Fourth World Meeting of Families Accept fully and without reserve the love which, in the Sacrament of Matrimony, God first gave to you, and through which he enables you to love others in turn.

September 9, 2010

Once you have a list of enjoyable things to do together, set aside time to do at least one of them each week. Even if it means cutting other obligations, your marriage comes first.

Are Costly Weddings the Result of Social Pressure?

A British priest is offering an all-inclusive church wedding at no cost to the couple. Is this one strategy to deal with the high cost of many contemporary weddings?

Breakfast on Golgotha

I was making breakfast for the kids, getting them ready for their day full of climbing camps and swim lessons, when Simon looked at me and said, “Daddy, sometimes I don’t like you.”

My initial reaction was, “Wow—haven’t heard that one yet,” and I was curious to see how it played out. Then he said it again.

September 8, 2010

Identify things you enjoy doing together and then make time to do them. This builds a reservoir of positive experiences from which you draw on your down days. Today make a list of enjoyable activities. Step two tomorrow.

Fill us at daybreak with your love

Fill us at daybreak with your love, that all our days we may sing for joy.  Psalm 90:14

The soul of the community of marriage

From On the Family The love between husband and wife … is the foundation and soul of the community of marriage and the family.

September 7, 2010

“Let him kiss me with kisses of his mouth! More delightful is your love than wine!” (Song of Songs 1:1) Do you have the habit of kissing each other goodbye in the morning or greeting each other with a kiss upon reuniting? Habits are good, but be more conscious of it today.

The family’s first task

From On the Family [The family's] first task is to live with fidelity the reality of communion in a constant effort to develop an authentic community of persons.

September 6, 2010

(Labor Day) Isn’t it curious that “Labor Day” is the day most people take off work? Think of your marriage as a labor of love in which you never take a day off. Do an unexpected chore for your beloved today.

September 5, 2010

Weekly Date Idea: Play a game from your childhood – croquet, badminton, hide and seek, miniature golf. Reminisce and be playful together.

Trinitarian love

From Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan Through the Sacrament of Matrimony, married love is not only modeled on Trinitarian love but also participates in it.

September 4, 2010

Regardless of which spouse makes the money or spends it, regard any income as “ours.”  Assume that both spouses contribute to the household either by money or in-kind service, and that decisions about expenditures should be joint ones.

A healing of the relationship between man and woman

From Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan The imitation of the love of Christ for the Church also calls for a healing of the relationship between man and woman.

September 3, 2010

“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.” (Chrissy, age 6) What have you given your beloved lately without any expectation of return–a backrub, some time off, a favor?

Physical care of children

From Follow the Way of Love Physical care of children, discipline, training in religious values and practices.. all these and more can be provided by fathers as well as mothers.

Pop Goes Perfection

Sarah muses on her to-do lists and the many tasks that remain undone. Can she let go of the need to be the perfect wife, mother and homemaker?