Date Nights

Mark and I started dating when we were teenagers.  We were high school sweethearts.

Five months after we were married we discovered we were expecting our first child. Our married life as two had not lasted very long.  We were quickly about to become a family of three.

Ladies, I must tell you, as exciting as it is to become a mother and nurture this new life that God has given you, it is vital that you put your husband first. My husband consistently pursued me.  He understood the importance of fostering and maintaining our relationship as a couple. My husband made 'us' a priority and established dating in our marriage relationship from the beginning.  While we've been married he's continued to treat me as his girlfriend.

Now, we are entering a new phase in our marriage.  Our children are all young adults.  We enjoy the company of our adult children, but, we are also now grabbing hold of each other and embracing our couple time.  We know that soon it will be just the two of us at home and we are planning to be that young couple in their twenties again. 

Our dates have changed over the years.  We no longer have to find sitters or wait until our children fall asleep to put in a movie.  We still love staying home, making a dinner or grabbing take-out and cuddling on the couch while we watch a dvd.  Sometimes, however, it is important to put time and effort into planning your dates.  Take some time and brainstorm together and see what sort of things you'd both like to do.

Recently Mark surprised me and planned a full day for the two of us.  We started out by going to the gym together.  (Several years ago we joined a gym so that we could have an activity to do together to stay in shape and stay healthy.) After we returned from the gym, we showered and  Thad brunch at home.  The next thing on our agenda was appointments to each have a massage.  After that our date continued to Starbucks followed by supper at a local restaurant.  

Another date day recently included sleeping in, enjoying a late breakfast together at home, followed by a trip to a city across the border to do some shopping and out for a steak supper.

Our dates don't have to involve spending money.  We enjoy going for a walk, eating at home and watching television that we've pre-recorded.  

Be intentional.  Plan to spend time together.  Grab time that opens up and fill it with the one that you love.  Watch your love grow and flourish as your focus is taken off yourself and back to the one you fell in love with and chose to spend your life with.

Date nights are especially important if the week has been busy and we have not seen much of each other. It’s time to catch up on each other’s lives. We have learnt to put away our cell phones during this time so that other things don’t distract us. The date is for us to enjoy each other’s company and hang out with the person who is our best friend.

Things I Love About My Husband

Mark and I started dating 33 years ago.  

We became best friends and fell in love.  I am so blessed to have been married to the love of my life for over 25 years.   Staying married and being together until 'death do us part' is non-negotiable for us.

I still get excited when I see him.  If he sends me a special text telling me he loves me or an email telling me I'm beautiful, my face lights up and my heart is full.

Everyday is not a fairytale. Marriage means committing to real life together. Forever.  Marriage is a Vow.  Not a contract.  

My husband adores me and I love and and respect him. 

My love for him has continued to grow and to honor him I'm making a list of what I love about him.  It will continue to grow as I am reminded daily of his many character attributes that have captured my heart.

1. He loves God.
2. He loves me.
3. He loves our children.
4. He is funny. He has a quick sense of humour.  He shows his love to me by letting me be the object of his humour.
5. He is incredibly intelligent.
6. He has amazing blue eyes. When he looks into my eyes, my heart melts.
7. He says he's proud of me.  (Wow!  That is so important to me.)
8. I love his voice.  
9. The way he forgives me when I make mistakes.
10. He prays with me and for me.  This speaks so deeply to me and solidifies our relationship.
11. He always holds my hand whenever we are walking.
12. He is a great cook and enjoys making meals for me.
13. He vacuums and mops. Every week. (I know I am spoiled.)
14. He likes to take care of me.
15. He is the perfect height for me.
16. Although he is right most of the time, he doesn't rub it in.
17. He can always make my troubles go away with an 'I love you'.
18. I can tell him anything and he won't be shocked.
19. He has incredible integrity.
20. He is all I've ever wanted for my husband.
21. He didn't freak when I got a tattoo without telling him.
22. He is patient with me.
23. His strength. Physical and spiritual.
24. He inspires me and brings adventure to my life.
25. He is my biggest encourager and supporter.
26. He is very sexy.
27. His strong arms.
28. He sets goals and achieves them.
29. He dreams with me.
30. He is creative.
31. He often puts me first.
31. He wants to make my dreams come true.
32. He is ambitious.
33. I feel so protected when he wraps his strong arms around me.
34. When he reads to me.
35. I love when he surprises me.
36. He is thoughtful.
37. He has fun with me.
38. I can be silly with him.
39. He'll take me shopping.
40. He celebrates marriage.
41. I love when he sings to me.
42. He thinks I'm sexy.
43. He is an incorrigible tease.
44. He is generous with me. Sometimes too much.
45. He loves me freely. He only expects me to be me.
46. He inspires me to be my very best. He never gives up on me.
47. He invests in me.
48. His confidence in himself.
49. He handles stress very well. He brings peace to me.
50. He is willing to try anything.
51. He sees more in me than I often do.
52. He is prompt. I am not.
53. I love standing beside him.
54. He talks to me.
55. He has always made 'us' a priority.
56. He tells me he loves me.
57. He is a great kisser.
58. He is good at forgiving me for my occasional stupidity.
59. He is the friend and the lover that I've always dreamed of.
60. He is my best friend.
61. He extends grace to me when I definitely don't deserve it.
62. He works tirelessly for our family
63. He is open and honest with me
64. He doesn't let our conflicts carry over to another day
65. He makes great eggs - the way I like them
66. He is great at decision making
67. He reads his bible
68. He is steadfast
69. He likes to have fun with me

Too be continued....

The Truth in Love

Speaking the 'truth in love' can be a very difficult thing to do.  And a very difficult thing to receive.  And sometimes unnecessary.

Confronting isn't always ours to do.

If my friend is talking disrespectfully about her husband; complaining and not honouring him, is it my job to confront her?

If my husband is not helping around the house, or watching too much tv, do I tell him?
Or if my husband is short with our children, do I need to confront him?

Sometimes love doesn't need to speak.  Sometimes love remembers that I watch too much tv, get angry with the children and sometimes complain as well. Sometimes love just prays.

When I see something someone in my life is doing wrong, sometimes the best thing I can do is pray and trust the Holy Spirit.

John 14:26
"But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall everything I have told you."

The Holy Spirit is there to convict us because God loves us and wants the best for our lives. His conviction is all about God's love.

When I give the situation to God and He can speak into the hearts. I have seen God change hearts in a way that would never be possible for me to do.  God loves our friends, our children, our husband and our marriage even more than we do.

I need to remember that true change takes place when the Holy Spirit speaks, not me.

Love, Honor & Respect

I deeply love my husband. We have been married for more than 25 years and I can unequivocally say that I love him more now than I did on our wedding day.  He is my best friend.  

He is a man of integrity and strength.  I honor him completely.

He is very wise and I submit myself to his leadership and spiritual guidance.  I respect him.

I love and adore our three children.  They bring life to our home and have made us a family.

I am honored to be their mother and to be their friend.

Our children are now young adults and as they begin to make their own choices and establish their own lives, I need to show them respect.

I also need to show love, honor and respect to myself. 


We're so much better than we've become, because God is so much greater than we're allowing Him to be through us. 


"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." John 14:12