(courtesy of Tikko Weddings)
My husband said to me once that he hopes he’ll always be in the mode of “falling in love” with me. He didn’t mean falling in love as some feel good giddy emotion. He was talking about the state of always learning more and more about the other. With every new mystery revealed, is that chance to fall in love again and again and again.
Marriage Notes: For me to remember 5, 10, 15… 50 years from now.
- Show affection often – Cuddling, poking, smooching, rubbing noses… it’s all gravy! My ex-boss told me once that he required his wife and kids to hug him every single day. One time he even said to his wife, “Honey, I think we have a hugging problem”. His wife wasn’t hugging him enough. Yes, he was serious. So the myth that men don’t like hugs and cuddles? False.
- Be childish – from singing offkey in the car to poking fun at each other’s quirks. Let out your inner child! If you can’t do this with your husband, who else can you do it with? Laughing together over silly things is the best medicine for the soul (and marriage).
- Remembering we’re a team! My.husband.is.not.the.enemy. He’s my #1 supporter – he sat with me through a 4 hour Open House at Loma Linda because he wanted to know what I wanted to be a part of. He keeps telling me I should be a professional photographer/blogger even though I just take photos and write for fun. He keeps contributing to my “camera money fund” whenever he can to help me save up for camera gear. Him believing in me makes all the difference.
- Date night. We set aside one night a week for each other. In between my night classes and other events that may spring up… it’s important to be intentional with one another. I don’t care if he chooses to hangout with the boys on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. But every week I look forward to the night prioritized for me. Thursday Date Nights! We know never to plan anything on that night because it’s OUR special night.
- Respect each other. I would say RESPECT is the underlying, key component to any successful marriage. How can you love but not respect someone? The two go hand in hand. If I did not respect my husband, I wouldn’t want to listen to anything he says, I wouldn’t want to learn from him, I wouldn’t think the BEST of him, I wouldn’t give him the benefit of the doubt, and I definitely wouldn’t take him or his decisions seriously. Not having respect in a relationship can have serious, long-term implications.’
My marriage relationship is even stronger and better than our dating years. The love gets deeper and sweeter by the day. My marriage is still in the early stages, so only time will tell. My hope, though, is that I never stop learning to love him… I hope I will always be in that continual state of “falling in love” by his definition…
