Love and Marriage

On Saturday I attended our Adult State Conference session. One of the speakers was a marriage and family therapist named Carolee Fredrick. I could have listened to her for hours, but unfortunately she spoke for only 45 minutes. I did, however, get some good information I thought I would share. I know that I will be using this to strengthen my marriage.

She introduced the Five Magic Hours and gave a list of activities. You and your spouse should do each of these activities each week, and the amount of time you spend doing them should add up to five hours for the week.

*Daily appreciations-these need to be personal. Don't just say thanks for taking out the garbage or doing the dishes. Say something like, "Thanks for honoring your priesthood."

*Partings-make sure when you leave each other that you make it special. Make sure you ask your spouse what is going to happen during his/her day. Do this even if your spouse does the same thing each day. Make sure he/she knows you care.

*Reunions-make the end of the day nice. Find out about each other's day's activities. Smile when he/she walks through the door when getting home.

*Affection-it can be simple. Touch him when he walks by. Hold hands!

*Love maps-these are date nights. These should be at least two hours a week. They can be simple. You may not have enough money. You may have kids. But you can still go on a date.

She stressed that the point of the Five Magic Hours is to find time together to reconnect. Too many couples build space between them.

I was so glad to have the opportunity to hear Sis. Fredrick. The Lord knows when to send messages to me to help my life! I hope that this little bit of information can help you too.