Tag Archives: appreciation

Showing Appreciation to Your Spouse

Sometimes life can get in the way of appreciating your spouse. You go through each day doing basically the same thing. It isn’t until something different happens, that we sometimes realize how blessed we are to be married. That came to me this past weekend when I went away for three days to a writer’s conference in North Carolina. I have never been out of state, away from my husband. It was a little uncomfortable to be on my own figuring out flights and what gate I needed to be at. I have always relied on my husband for this. … Continue reading →

Two Interesting Comments

Do you love your spouse for who he or she is? In a novel I was reading recently by Kristin Hannah, called Between Sisters, the husband tells his wife two things about why he’s leaving her for another woman, that struck me as important: ‘Nothing I do is good enough for you.’ The second is more about the woman he has been seeing ‘She loves who I am, not who I could be if I were more ambitious.’ They’re telling comments and although it’s fiction the comment s have the ring of truth about them. The first one made me … Continue reading →

A Serious Conversation about Affairs.

The other day Mick and I had a serious conversation about affairs. No, neither of us is planning on having one. We were talking about Mary Ann’s recent article as to the primary cause of affairs. The conversation started when I’d asked Mick what he thought it might be. He said ‘greed. They’re not happy with what they’ve got and want something more.’ The other things he mentioned were ‘opportunity and dissatisfaction.’ If people were getting what they needed at home they wouldn’t feel the need to stray and look for something else. It’s when they’re not getting what they … Continue reading →

Get an A+ in Marriage

Do you want to get an A + in marriage? Here are a few As to help you relate to your spouse and improve your marriage Acceptance Your spouse needs to know that you accept them as they are and that you are not always trying to change them and make them over into something they are not. They need to know they are loved unconditionally, not only when they do the things that please you and make you happy. Admiration Admiration might be as simple as telling your spouse that an outfit looks hot on them. Or it might … Continue reading →

The Wrong Excuse for a Gift?

It’s Father’s Day in Australia tomorrow. Someone asked me what I’d bought for Mick for Father’s Day. ‘Nothing,’ I replied. ‘He’s not my father.’ If my father was still alive I would certainly buy him a gift and our son and daughter buy a gift for Mick, but we have never held to the view that the husband buys presents for their wife on Mother’s Day or the wife buys presents for the husband on Father’s Day. After all it’s not husband’s or wive’s day. In fact I think the whole thing is quite absurd and a ploy by companies … Continue reading →

Gratitude In Life and Marriage

Gratitude is an important aspect of life, and especially married life. It is important that our spouse knows that we are grateful for them, for their love and support. The recent visit for the Watoto children’s choir, their gratitude and love for life started me thinking about the things that I am grateful for. I’m grateful for: My husband I am grateful for Mick’s love and support. I am grateful for the relationship we have. I’m grateful that he loves me, and that he holds me and listens to me. I’m grateful he is there to talk through problems with … Continue reading →

Simple Tips to Help Maintain a Healthy Marriage

Today we’re going to look at some simple tips to maintain a healthy marriage. When you receive good news who is the first person you want to share it with? Is it your spouse? When an early morning phone call this week told me that I had been awarded second prize in a poetry competition, I couldn’t wait to get off the phone and tell Mick. He is always my first thought when I receive good news, because I know he will respond in an appropriate way and he did. His encouraging words left me feeling I was the cleverest … Continue reading →

The Secret to Enjoying Married Life

‘The secret to enjoying life is being thankful for what each day brings.’ That’s what the anonymous quote on my calendar for today says. While I agree with that, maybe for the purposes of this blog, we could change that to read ‘the secret to enjoying married life is to be thankful for what each day brings.’ One of the things that is great about my husband is that he is thankful for the things I do for him. Yes, I did make his pie yesterday, even though I hate making pies and things that require pasty. I hate having … Continue reading →

Can Love be Re-Ignited?

If the love seems to have gone out of your marriage can it be re-ignited? You won’t know until you try. And that’s the rub. First you have to be willing to try and do something about your marriage and not just walk away. So the first step is a commitment to having the marriage work. As a starting point remember why you fell in love with your spouse. Think back. What was it drew you to him or her initially. Make a list of those qualities you loved about them? Don’t they still have those qualities? So find ways … Continue reading →

Who Needs Affirmations and Encouraging More?

Do husbands need more reassurance, affirmation and encouragement than wives do? I’d be interested to hear what others think about this. Author and illustrator Graeme Base revealed in his interview on Talking Heads, how he was far more in need of praise and affirmations than his wife Robyn who is also a creative artist. His assessment of his wife was that she was much more independent and did not need to rely on input from him as much. He, on the other hand needed conformation from her about his work. It made me wonder if this is a personality difference … Continue reading →