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Posted October 22, 2008
Daily Marriage TipsTips courtesy of Susan Vogt, MA, CFLEOctober 21 Does your spouse have an annoying habit? Make a joke out of it. "Oh, honey, I noticed you forgot to empty the dishwasher. Since we need some extra money, I put it up on e-bay. I agree, it's just too much trouble to empty it." October 20 List your three favorite hobbies (sports, games, crafts, anything you do outside your job and parenting). What do you think your spouse's are? Did you guess correctly? October 19 "There is a time to embrace and a time to be far from embraces" (Ecclesiastes 3:5). It might be hard to imagine when embracing your spouse is not good but there are illnesses, separations and times when you don't want to conceive. It doesn't mean your love is any less. October 18 "In sickness and in health..." How do you deal with illness? Do you like to be coddled or ignored? What does your spouse want from you when he or she is sick? October 17 Weekly Date Idea: Plan a "Favorites Night" around your favorite food, clothes, games, sports, etc. Let the wife propose her favorite activities for one date and the husband plans for the next one. October 16 If you're in the retirement phase of marriage, make sure you have some solo time separate from your spouse--for the sake of sanity. October 15 Make a commitment to laugh at least once a day. No matter how hard life is, laughing with your spouse can lighten the load. October 14 "You shall love your neighbor [spouse] as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). The first job of love is to have a healthy love of self, so you don't depend on your spouse to meet all your needs. What three things do you like most about yourself? October 13 It's natural to want your children to like you. It's especially hard for step-parents to wait for the new relationship to develop. Don't take it personally when your children say they "hate" you. Cling to each other. October 12 Who is the more patient of the two of you? If you're the less patient one, study your spouse's ways and learn. If you're the more patient one, resist the urge to feel superior. You have other faults. |