Relationship Rescue: Making Love Last

We have had a great weekend as a family! I am so happy that hunting season is over for many reasons, but the main one is getting to spend more time with Mark and for the three of us to have uninterrupted time together as well.

The weekend started off with a bang as we celebrated Hayden and Brady's 4th birthday at the bowling alley. This was Wyatt's first time to bowl- and he loved it, but loved the arcade games even more as he took off for the "light-up" room on several occasions. I am so happy that Wyatt has such wonderful friends to grow up with! Each and every time we go to a birthday party I feel incredibly grateful that we get to celebrate these special moments with such special children.

Last night, Mark and I attended a Valentine's Dinner at the church with several other of our couple friends. All of us in attendance had small children, and the thought of free childcare and exceptional Italian food was such a draw that they filled just about every seat in our fellowship hall :).

We had a great time catching up with friends and spending time together. This event was the big kickoff to the new sermon series on marriage that began today.

I am always thrilled when we can attend anything on this subject. Marriage, any marriage takes a lot of work. There are days when I love Mark so much I can barely stand it, and there are days that I can barely stand being in the same room with him because he is driving me nuts. The past 3 1/2 years have brought a lot of change in us both, and there have be

en a lot of happy times, but also a lot of hard times as we both adjust to these changes. The one constant is that Jesus is the center of our life. The more we look to Him, the more we grow closer. I am in complete awe of the man my husband has become - he is enthralled with God and everyone who knows him can see it. I am so very, very humbled by this man who trusts the Lord with everything-- including our family.

Mark is my special gift from God.

How blessed I am not to be wading around this world with no one to share my life with. I can't even imagine what life would be like without him. As I sat in the pew today, I was struck with how very, very important it is to pray for your spouse. I never had even thought of this before. I mean I pray for Mark's protection, I pray that God keep him safe- but how often do I pray to thank God for this gift of marriage? I am embarrassed to admit the answer.

Today Mark and I made the commitment to pray for each other each and every day. I pray God's blessings on him, I pray that God help me to be the best wife I can be to him. I pray that God work in our marriage, and that when I am 85, I can look back on my life and know that I spent it with my beloved. I hope you and your Valentine have a wonderful week!