APPLICATION: Eternal Marriage

                                                

    

    Marriage is about two people.  So for this project, my husband and I decided that we should both work on this together.  After all, if I put a plan in motion to put some spark back into our marriage, that would of course be wonderful.  But if he works on this as well, then so much more the happiness we enjoy.              
     Life is busy!  We wake up, jump out of bed, and literally run from one thing to another, until we find ourselves falling back into bed at day's end - exhausted.  In the rush of life's activities, it is absolutely necessary for us to stop and recognize what is most important.  Because sometimes what is most important, is the thing that gets the least amount of attention.  And just like a garden that is planted in springtime, it will fade and die by autumn without the daily attention and nourishment it needs to flourish.

            We are almost empty-nesters.  That happened way too fast!  We weren't expecting it yet, but here we are.  The time has come for us to stop and regroup.  We need to stop rushing around each other so much, and we need to remember back 35 years ago for what it was that brought us together in the first place.  Now we have the time and space to relax and enjoy each other without worrying about school, jobs, kids, where to live, etc.  That has all been accomplished and we are back to just "me and you". 

            It's the little things.  Remembering to say I love you - daily.  Texting a compliment or two everyday - just out of the blue.  Fixing the air conditioning in her car.  Not leaving his side for hours after his surgery.  Staying up late to clean his white shirt for church.  Doing the dishes for her because she had a rough day at work.  Once we began purposely trying to find things to do for each other, it became more of a race to see who would come up with something first, or who would come up with something better.  The secret looks, the smiles across the room, the wink from the window, all contribute to the fluttering of the heart.

            When the time is taken to nurture a temple marriage, there is no greater blessing on earth.  While at our mission one evening, my husband said, "I wish we could just serve a mission forever and not go back to our home ward. I love serving a mission with you.  We get to serve together in the capacity as missionaries, while serving the Lord, and yet we are spending precious time together.  It's like a date night."  Well my idea of a date night isn't exactly spending it with welfare folks, but I understood what he was trying to say and it was a tender moment.