Posts Tagged ‘encouragement’
New Year’s Resolutions for Couples
What can you do for your marriage in 2013? Start with something small but meaningful. Here are a few ideas.
Enjoying Marriage and Fatherhood
Justin discusses some of the attitudes towards marriage and parenthood he meets as he goes about his day-to-day business.
Gratitude: Foundational for Marriage
As Thanksgiving approaches, we take time to think of the many people in our lives for whom we are grateful. How about starting with our spouse?
Fall Resolutions to Spark Your Marriage
Does your marriage need a little jump start? Don’t wait until the New Year to make a change. Try one or more of our Fall Resolutions to reinvigorate your marriage.
February: A Time to Celebrate Love and Marriage
It’s the month of love! Join in the celebration of National Marriage Week (Feb. 7-14) and World Marriage Day (Feb. 12). And check out these resources to help prepare for and strengthen your marriage.
The Catholic Marriage Wisdom Book
Several hundred brief and not-quite-so-brief quotations on marriage, family life and parenthood make up “The Catholic Marriage Wisdom Book” compiled by Donna Marie Cedar-Southworth. There is advice here – from Scripture, novelists, theologians, famous individuals and ordinary married couples — for making marriage work, along with reflections on the meaning of marriage and the personal growth of spouses.
Spiritual Direction
Spiritual Direction is one of the Church’s great resources. Could you benefit from having a spiritual director? One wise director observes that spiritual direction is “always useful and sometimes necessary.”
Finding Help When Your Marriage Is in Trouble
Problems are part of every marriage. The U.S. Catholic Bishops have identified a variety of resources to help couples with marital difficulties–everything from skills-building programs and support groups to professional counseling.
Be a Great Valentine–Give the Gift of Words
Money can’t buy everything. Sometimes, what your spouse really wants is a compliment, an offer of assistance or an unexpected “thinking of you” e-mail. Here are some Valentine’s Day gifts that are priceless.
Try a Five-Point Tune-Up For Your Marriage
Does your marriage need a bit of preventive maintenance? Even good marriages can benefit from periodic check-ups. Try this end-of-summer tune-up to keep your marriage running smoothly.
Help Your Marriage to Thrive
Why do some marriages–even long-term marriages–fail, while others grow and flourish? Marriage expert Susan Vogt offers some ideas for helping your marriage to thrive.
The Marriage Garden
Marriages, like gardens, flourish when they are tended with care – watered, weeded and nurtured, according to the co-authors of “The Marriage Garden.” Read their advice for making your marital garden grow.
Marriage: The Later Years
After 40 years of marriage, former Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper announced their separation. Although still unusual, the breakup of long term marriages is becoming more common. Sometimes, couples are not prepared to renegotiate a relationship of just two people. What should you know about marriage in later life?
Celebrate World Marriage Day
Each year World Marriage Day is celebrated on the Sunday closest to Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14). This year, the two coincide. Worldwide Marriage Encounter, which sponsors World Marriage Day, offers many ideas that churches, groups and couples can use to mark the Day.
10 Pointers for Prayer
Finding time for prayer can seem impossible. Amid the busyness of family life, how can one respond to God’s ongoing invitation to speak with and listen to Him? Here are ten pointers to help you do just that.
The Love Dare
The Love Dare is a 40-day plan of action for improving marriage, whether the marriage is healthy and strong or hanging by a thread. On each of 40 days, this best-selling book dares a husband or wife to foster unconditional love in their marriage in a specific way.
The Good Marriage Guide
“The key to developing a successful marriage” is found in “personal change and growth,” John Farrelly says in “The Good Marriage Guide.” The author is director of counseling for ACCORD, the nationwide marriage care service of the Catholic Church in Ireland.
The Husband Handbook
This is a book for and about husbands, though I’m certain many wives would enjoy it too. The authors of The Husband Handbook are determined to speak about marriage and its challenges in a manner designed to appeal to many men.
Enrichment
What helps a marriage grow? Many things: shared spiritual values, healthy intimacy, recreational activities–even caring for a beloved pet! While it’s easy to focus on the challenges and obstacles to married love, it’s harder to identify and utilize the many opportunites for growth. Each day presents opportunities to do something positive for one’s marriage, whether [...]
Marriage in the News August 2009
How the unmarried respond when asked why they move in together; Couples tie Internet to marital conflicts; Long-married couples provide needed sign of encouragement to the young; Factors that threaten a lasting marriage; Americans believe in marriage, but divorce at astonishing rates; SPECIAL REPORT: Marriage and family in Pope Benedict’s new encyclical.
