wrote last month before life got crazy with our move…
after a rain, from our rose garden
When Paul & I were dating, he made sure I always had a fresh rose in my dorm, the sweetest! He would drive me to class on snowy mornings even though I lived across from campus, and he would eat any healthy thing I coaxed him to, even though he’s a picky eater. Now our lives are much busier, but our rose garden reminds me of our college days. Not long after we were married, he surprised me with a genuine gold dipped rose that will never die, so thoughtful.
We just celebrated our 22nd anniversary, wow- it’s flown by! It’s been fun reminiscing our last 22 years of marriage… the fun times we had dating in college, best friends, our exciting newlywed years, starting our family together, running a business together for awhile, traveling to China to adopt our girls, enjoying great blessings in our lives while working through our trials we face. Although our lives are much busier, we’re still having fun and love being together. He’s still my best friend.
I taught a lesson last month on marriage… eternal/forever marriages. What a good and sometimes sensitive topic. How important it is to nurture our relationships and continue to rekindle that love, to put our energies where it counts most. It’s so easy to let life get in the way- work, children, callings, sports, just keeping up with it all, but we need to make sure we’re not spreading ourselves out too thin.
“Keeping the garden of marriage well cultivated and free from weeds of neglect requires the time and commitment of love. It is not only a pleasant privilege, it is a scriptural requirement with promise of eternal glory” ~Elder Russell M. Nelson
gave these cute handouts with chocolate hugs for the ladies…
Successful marriage tips we discussed-
- Keep dating your spouse, keep the courtship alive! Just the two of you, it shows your children you treasure your relationship with your spouse. Schedule a date night each week or twice a month.
- Learn their love language and show expressions of love in their language~ acts of service, words, quality time, gifts, or physical touch, how do they feel loved?
- Don’t try to change who they are. Remember the saying- “Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, and half shut after marriage.” They are their own person, the one you chose, don’t think that you will change them after marriage.
- Greet your spouse warmly when you see him, make him feel missed, loved, and appreciated- special.
- Agree to disagree. It’s perfectly normal to have differences. Learn to say you’re sorry and put yourself in his shoes.
- Laugh together often, a sense of humor is great medicine!
Any other great tips, you must share…
“Strength and commitment must be shown if we are to survive as a nation, as a people, or even as a fully successful church. We simply must have love and integrity and strong principles in our homes. We must have an abiding commitment to marriage and children and morality. We must succeed where success counts most for the next generation” ~President Howard W. Hunter.
“Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:11).
Happy anniversary baby! Thanks for a great 22 years, looking forward for the next 22 years and more!
