Hi Friends!
I have had a busy past two weekends and have missed posting. Two weekends ago, I was with my husband speaking at the Forest Hill Couples Get Away Weekend. What a blast we had with over 200 new and old friends in the beautiful setting of the Cove Retreat Center. God did some great work that weekend in people's hearts and marriages.
Then,this past weekend I went off with my friends Marybeth and Paige to the beach. Only we never saw the beach because we were on a crop til' you drop mission. (That's code for working on my family scrapbooks.) I was determined to make since of my digital photos disaster and try and get back on track with my scrapbooks. I had pictures in three different cameras, on three different computers and on random discs that had gotten full and replaced because of down loading challenges. I logged over 35 scrapbooking hours in just three days!
All that to say...I have been behind on my blog posts . I told one of my friends this weekend that my next post should be titled,"Please don't break up with me when I get a little quiet!"
But that title isn't too far off the mark for what I'm posting about today. I have noticed this strange phenomena in couples that I see while going out to eat. So many couples don't talk. I mean they don't talk at all. They busy themselves with mindless activities such as organizing their receipts, cleaning their glasses, or simply staring at other people talking while waiting for their food. Then when their dinner arrives, they busy themselves eating. Finally, they pay their bill and leave. And I imagine that their lack of conversation follows them right out the door and into their everyday lives.
I am so sad about this. It has made me aware that not only is it possible for couples to run out of things to talk about, but for too many this is a reality. So, I'm determined to get intentional about talking with Art everyday. Not the Quick Speak Talk that is so easy to fall into..."are you picking up the kids?"... "did you pay the power bill?"... "do the boys have a game tonight?"..."why is there a blue crayon stripe down the hallway?"... "love you, love you too." No, I'm talking about the kind engaging conversation that is salted with feeling and peppered with laughter, joy, excitement, reflection, and romance.
Does this happen naturally? For some couples it does but for the vast majority, we have to get intentional about it. If we don't, 'quick speak' will become such a habit that when life slows down and there are no longer those connection points with the kids and urgent life...silence will be waiting for us.
So, today, make a memory with your spouse by talking about something fun. Maybe it is different kind of date you'd like to go on... or a trip you'd like to start saving for... or some kind of new food the two of you could cook together... or a simple conversation where you tell one another the top three reasons you love them. Whatever it is, remember having a great marriage is a matter of choice, not chance.
Well, I'm off to pull out the scrapbooks I worked on this weekend and put them on my bed. Tonight, Art and I are taking a stroll down memory lane while flipping through the pages. There is sure to be lots of conversation, laughter and reflection. Hmmmm...hopefully there are no good football games on...maybe I need to go hide the TV remote first. Smiles!
I have had a busy past two weekends and have missed posting. Two weekends ago, I was with my husband speaking at the Forest Hill Couples Get Away Weekend. What a blast we had with over 200 new and old friends in the beautiful setting of the Cove Retreat Center. God did some great work that weekend in people's hearts and marriages.
Then,this past weekend I went off with my friends Marybeth and Paige to the beach. Only we never saw the beach because we were on a crop til' you drop mission. (That's code for working on my family scrapbooks.) I was determined to make since of my digital photos disaster and try and get back on track with my scrapbooks. I had pictures in three different cameras, on three different computers and on random discs that had gotten full and replaced because of down loading challenges. I logged over 35 scrapbooking hours in just three days!
All that to say...I have been behind on my blog posts . I told one of my friends this weekend that my next post should be titled,"Please don't break up with me when I get a little quiet!"
But that title isn't too far off the mark for what I'm posting about today. I have noticed this strange phenomena in couples that I see while going out to eat. So many couples don't talk. I mean they don't talk at all. They busy themselves with mindless activities such as organizing their receipts, cleaning their glasses, or simply staring at other people talking while waiting for their food. Then when their dinner arrives, they busy themselves eating. Finally, they pay their bill and leave. And I imagine that their lack of conversation follows them right out the door and into their everyday lives.
I am so sad about this. It has made me aware that not only is it possible for couples to run out of things to talk about, but for too many this is a reality. So, I'm determined to get intentional about talking with Art everyday. Not the Quick Speak Talk that is so easy to fall into..."are you picking up the kids?"... "did you pay the power bill?"... "do the boys have a game tonight?"..."why is there a blue crayon stripe down the hallway?"... "love you, love you too." No, I'm talking about the kind engaging conversation that is salted with feeling and peppered with laughter, joy, excitement, reflection, and romance.
Does this happen naturally? For some couples it does but for the vast majority, we have to get intentional about it. If we don't, 'quick speak' will become such a habit that when life slows down and there are no longer those connection points with the kids and urgent life...silence will be waiting for us.
So, today, make a memory with your spouse by talking about something fun. Maybe it is different kind of date you'd like to go on... or a trip you'd like to start saving for... or some kind of new food the two of you could cook together... or a simple conversation where you tell one another the top three reasons you love them. Whatever it is, remember having a great marriage is a matter of choice, not chance.
Well, I'm off to pull out the scrapbooks I worked on this weekend and put them on my bed. Tonight, Art and I are taking a stroll down memory lane while flipping through the pages. There is sure to be lots of conversation, laughter and reflection. Hmmmm...hopefully there are no good football games on...maybe I need to go hide the TV remote first. Smiles!
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