Marriage – an ongoing conversation
Wedding Anniversary
January 7th was our 24th wedding anniversary and a friend of mine asked ‘What has contributed to marriage going well for you?’
So I wrote down some answers for her and decided to share them on my blog.
I could spend a whole day talking about this topic… I listed some of the more significant things that have contributed to the progress of our marriage below (not in order of importance):
- learning about the needs of one another,
- being thoughtful,
- paying attention to and giving priority to our relationship,
- spending quality time together,
- serving and praying together,
- learning how to communicate and consult more effectively (we are studying a book about this right now),
- reading and studying books together on varying subjects including the subject of love and marriage (some of them are listed on my marriage resource page near the bottom),
- learning about each other’s love language (read a book called ‘The 5 love languages),
- having a weekly lunch date to check in with one another and plan (this has been especially effective),
- having a day date once in a while (setting aside time to go for an outing)
* Of course there are more things on the list but these are the ones that stood out for us.
Resources on Love and Marriage
The subject of marriage is one that is dear to my heart so I made a special page on my website on the theme of marriage and share some resources. On our 10th anniversary we made a booklet called ‘Getting to know you’ – we came up with different questions on varying themes as a way to share more and explore deeper. I share that booklet as a gift download on the page of resources as well.
Here is a link to the resources page on love and marriage.
Below are links to a few other blog posts about marriage:
100 Tips for a healthy, happy marriage
Insights on Love and Marriage
What to look for in a Spouse
Birds of Love Gift Set
In 2009 I released an album titled ‘Birds of Love’ on the theme of love and marriage to be given as a gift to friends and loved ones.
Birds of Love is a treasury of uplifting words and inspiring songs specially created for weddings, anniversaries and an ideal gift for your loved ones. It includes a diverse five song album from varied sources with five additional instrumental tracks for live performances and background at special events. The album includes inspiring quotations from Abdu’l-Baha, features a famous Bible quotation, ‘Love is Patient’ and song ‘Where There Is Love’ featuring a poem by French author Hentri Matisse and an Apache Wedding Blessing.
Music Video for Marriage
Here is a video titled ‘Birds of Love’. Friends around the world submitted their wedding photographs. Watch here and enjoy!
Birds of Love gift set
Just before the dinner, outside of our home.