It is time for a sports date. Pick a sport that the two of you are either willing to go watch or participate in and then go for it. There is local league, junior high, senior high, college, and professional football going on. Basketball will start soon. Of course there is the Major League Baseball playoffs coming as well. Root for your favorite team and have a good time together.
A REAL date a week builds a REAL Marriage.
“Thus, marriage is important not only for the stability of society, for the protection and education of children, for the orderly ownership and transfer of property and so on, even though these are of overwhelming importance, especially as they affect children. Marriage is, beyond allo this, important as a basis for human happiness and, it is my belief, it is for most people the firmest basis for genuine and lasting happiness.” Richard Taylor
Keep building your REAL Marriage.
This Friday, September 28th, 2007, is Love Note Day. You have a four day headstart to get that love note together. You can make it easy. Fold a piece of cardstock, in your spouse’s favorite color, in half. On the outside write, “Happy Love Note Day.” On the inside write, “You are the only one I want to celebrate this day with, now and forever.”
Of course you can write your messages and I encourage you to do so. Be sure to keep those love notes flowing. If you need ideas or blank love notes you can buy blank love notes or my book here.
Remember, REAL Love Notes are a deposit in the love bank.
Go out for a smoothie and a walk together. Healthy food and healthy activity make for a great date.
Fall is almost upon us and there are weddings coming. The fall is a beautiful time to get married. Early fall has the changing leaves to add beautiful color and later fall adds the snow along with the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. For those of you who are thankful to have found someone to spend the rest of your life with and are planning to get married near Thanksgiving, now is the time to take part in your premarital education. Remember, this is an investment in your marriage so that you will still be thankful, ten, twenty, and fifty years from now.
For those of you looking to make each other your Christmas present by getting married near Christmas, make sure to give yourselves the present of premarital education. Premarital education is the investment in your marriage that will keep it feeling like a gift year after year.
Premarital education builds a great foundation for your REAL Marriage.
Today is the International Day of Prayer so you can send a REAL Love Note to your spouse to let your spouse know you prayed for him or her today (be sure to pray for your spouse).
On a much less serious note, Wednesday, September 19, 2007 is “Talk Like a Pirate Day.” You can send a pirate like note to your spouse and be sure to use pirate language matey!
REAL Love Notes are deposits in the love bank.
For this week’s date, check out the fall foilage in your area. For a really big date, check out the fall foilage in another part of the country. I know that Door County, Wisconsin has great color in the fall and New England is making the list on the internet.
A REAL date a week builds a REAL marriage.
It is easy to talk about how we want our marriage to be better. Talking and communication are important, yet they mean nothing without action. What are the things you have talked about doing to make your marriage richer and more enjoyable? Were you going to take a ballroom dancing class together? Sign up! Were you going to go on evening walks together? Get out of that chair, put your shoes on and go for a walk together.
Did you want to learn a new language together or travel to another country? What is stopping you? Put some walk to your talk and get moving. If you don’t do something to enrich your marriage, who will?
Does it matter what you do? Not really. As long as the two of you agree on what to do and it is not illegal, immoral, or illicit then you should be okay. It takes action to have a REAL Marriage.
I just received a great REAL Love Note from Mrs. REAL that I think would work for you too. The next time your spouse is away, hide a postcard of your city in his or her luggage. In the message part of the postcard write, “Wish you were here.”
A variation of this note is to get a picture of your house, apartment, condo, etc., put it in your spouse’s lunch or briefcase, and write the “Wish you were here” message on the back. This, of course, works best if one of you is a stay at home spouse.
REAL Love Notes are desposits in the love bank.
How many good things has your spouse done for you today? In the past week? Make a deliberate effort to notice the good that your spouse does for you. Also, notice the good that your spouse does that is not specifically for you but that you appreciate anyway.
For instance, my wife cooridanted a backpack project where she works so that children who need backpacks and school supplies could get them. She started this project a few years ago and coordinates it each year. I feel really good about this project and it doesn’t benefit me in any tangible way. However, it is cool to feel proud of your spouse and I am proud of what my wife has accomplished with this project.
It is usually easy to remember what our spouse does that irritates us or what or spouse does not do that frustrates us. These things do not make our day and spending time on them usually reduces our happiness. Take the time to list some good that your spouse has done - yes, I mean right now. Take thirty seconds and write as many as you can. Go!
Now that you have that list, how do you feel about those things? Probably good. Now, send a quick e-mail or make a quick phone call to your spouse to express your appreciation. If you absolutely can’t then do it when you get home. If you are reading this and your spouse in nearby go express your appreciation in person.
You have just enriched your marriage. See, it really is not that hard. Notice the good on a regualr basis, express your appreciation, and you will continue to enrich your REAL marriage.