Category

Romance

Nov 23
0

Celebrate Your Story 

By | Communication, Family Life, Finding Joy, Marriage Enrichment, Romance | No Comments

By John Bosio    I have never met a couple, regardless of how long they have been married, who did not cherish sharing memories of their beginning and of the key moments in their life together.  Every couple is a unique story. You and your spouse are a story. I invite you to celebrate the journey you have traveled thus far together by recalling your story.  The song from the movie The Love Story. sung by Andy Williams, comes to mind: “Where do I begin to tell the story of a love…”  If I asked you to tell me your love story where would it begin? Would you start telling your story from your wedding day or would you go back to a time when you first met, or even to a time before you ever knew each other?   Each year for the past seven years, when I go to Thailand on business, I am reminded…

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Aug 27
1

The Marriage Matrix

By | Communication, Finding Joy, Marriage Enrichment, Marriage Preparation, Meaning of Marriage, Romance, Spirituality | No Comments

By John Bosio With the release of the film trilogy The Matrix, a new word entered our popular vocabulary. The word “matrix” is actually an old word, according to the Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary. It dates back to the sixteenth century and has its roots in Latin. Matrix means “something from which something else originates”  and “form or mold, and pattern.” Matrix is a word that describes well God’s relationship with humanity and our relationship with God. He is our matrix; the source of our being and of our life. God is the pattern in the likeness of whom we were made. The prophet Isaiah proclaimed, “O Lord, you are our father; we are the clay and you are the potter: we are all the work of your hands.” (Is 64:8) Marriage is not an institution invented by humans: God created it. When God made the first man and the first…

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Jan 16
2

The Meaning of Love

By | Catholic Weddings, Communication, Family Life, Marriage Enrichment, Meaning of Marriage, Romance, Uncategorized | One Comment

By John Bosio A few months ago I received an unsolicited email message entitled “The Meaning of Love.” The author had collected many definitions of love given by young children, ages four to eight years old. Here are three that caught my attention: “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.” “Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.” “Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken.” These are truly examples of love that is self-giving through which couples imitate Christ in their everyday life, and when they do they are an example to others, especially to their children, of God’s love. Love…

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Aug 23
1

Don’t Let Your Marriage Go on Autopilot by John Bosio

By | Catholic Weddings, Communication, Finding Joy, Marriage Enrichment, Romance | No Comments

During the years of marriage it is easy for spouses to let their relationship shift into “automatic pilot” and to slowly drift apart, writes Bill Doherty, author of Take Back Your Marriage. As life goes on, spouses become preoccupied with the needs of their children and the demands of work.  In the meantime, they gradually neglect each other and begin to feel more and more distant. This drifting happens not because there is something wrong with the relationship but because such is the natural flow of things in married life. To avoid drifting to the point of disconnecting, Doherty recommends that spouses shift out of automatic pilot and take control of their life. He stresses the importance of intentionally doing things that keep them in touch with each other.  He recommends the use of rituals.  Marriage rituals are activities that husband and wife do together regularly.  For example, a couple…

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May 23
2

What Are You Looking For? by John Bosio

By | Catholic Weddings, Communication, Finding Joy, Marriage Enrichment, Romance, Uncategorized | No Comments

Several years ago my wife Teri and I helped lead a marriage preparation weekend.  During one of the sessions the engaged couples were asked to imagine their life together and to draw on a poster board their dreams for the future. Most couples sketched images of big homes, shiny cars, cute children, and successful careers. The poster that caught our attention was that of a young Vietnamese pair who could barely speak English.  At the center of their artwork they had placed a large red heart.  All around it and on a very small scale they depicted their hopes and dreams.  They explained: “What we want to have in 10 and 15 years from now is the happiness we feel today, when we are together.” What all spouses are looking for in marriage is happiness. They dream of a joy that comes from being each other’s faithful companions and best…

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Feb 15
2

“Love Letters for Lent” by Fr. Joshua J. Whitfield

By | Communication, Marriage Enrichment, Romance, Spirituality | No Comments

“A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” is my favorite John Donne poem. Written in 1611 for his wife as he was on his way to France, the poem was a gift meant to ease their parting. Before the world became so immediately digitally connected—before things like FaceTime and texting—lovers often bound themselves together with letters and poems written from the heart. Donne’s words were beautiful. Their love, he wrote, was holy. Sustained not by mere physical presence or material things or by mere carnal attraction, their love was “so much refined” that it could not be ruined or weakened by absence. Though separated, they should “make no noise,” he wrote, no “tear-floods,” no fuss. Rather, in knowing that by marriage and love their two souls were one, they “endure not yet a breach” and suffer no real separation. Their love is built upon something more transcendent, more spiritual, and more real. It’s…

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Nov 19
0

5 Steps to a Couple’s Spiritual Resolution by Lindsay Schlegel

By | Communication, Family Life, Marriage Enrichment, New Year's Resolutions, Romance, Spirituality | No Comments

“What’s your New Year’s resolution?” Perhaps this question will circulate around your dinner table this Christmas, or at least while you wait for the ball to drop and draw the calendar year to a close. It could be that you already have a healthy habit in mind or that there’s some vice you’re hoping to weed out in 2019. On the other hand, maybe this question only brings to mind fancy gym memberships that will languish by mid-February. The “you” in the question is typically in the singular and it could be that’s why so many resolutions fail so quickly. Lasting change depends on solid motivations and reliable accountability. Without these it can be hard to forge on when obstacles come our way. Rethinking this question in the plural presents unique opportunities for both this life and also the one hereafter. This year, try approaching resolutions this way: How can…

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Apr 05
25
Mobile Games for Couples

Mobile Games for Couples: An Easy Way to Add Fun to Your Relationship

By | Communication, Marriage Enrichment, Romance | No Comments

Smartphones are everywhere and, sure, they can be distracting. Many couples experience troubles as a result of smartphone usage. For example, by checking Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and scores on ESPN, you might miss an opportunity to spending meaningful time with one another. How, then, can we work to maintain a balance between these digital distractions and our lives in the real world, especially in our relationships? You can either outlaw the phone or turn it into a way to create fun experiences together. How? Try out some mobile gaming apps that couples can play together. Many of these gaming apps can be used for fun date day experiences. Or, at the very least, they will give you something fun to do in your free time together. Here are a few ideas to get you started. Mobile Games for Couples 1. Words With Friends, Chess, and other Classics. www.zynga.com/games/words-friends These apps…

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Feb 19
2

Cabin Fever! Four Creative Winter Date Ideas

By | Marriage Enrichment, Romance | No Comments

  As we reach the middle of February, those of us in the northern climates may be feeling a bit of cabin fever. The warm breezes and fresh air of spring are so tantalizingly close, yet we still have to push through a few more weeks of winter. As we grow tired of being trapped inside by the snow, wind, and freezing temperatures, it is easy to become restless and irritable. Worse yet, these feelings may lead to foul tempers and bickering with our spouses or significant others. To help break through the monotony of the final few weeks of cold and maintain a loving relationship with your spouse, here are some creative winter-friendly date ideas. Creative Winter Date Ideas 1. Beach Movie Night  If an escape to a tropical paradise isn’t quite within your budget, why not create one in your own home? Set the mood by dining on…

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Jun 25
0
Summer Staycation Ideas for Couples

Nine Exciting Summer Staycation Ideas for Couples

By | Romance | No Comments

You’re newly married or still getting ready for that wedding. Money is tight. A real summer vacation seems to be out of the question. So, what do you do? Take a staycation instead! Sit down with your spouse or fiance and talk about some of these summer staycation ideas for couples. What is a staycation? Well, instead of going on a vacation somewhere else, you create your own vacation in the comfort of your own home or hometown. Everything is in driving distance, and at the end of the day you get to sleep in your own bed. Staycations can help you save money and live a more frugal lifestyle. So, schedule your staycation this summer! Take the days off work, but save on gas money. Take a look around and appreciate what you have. Schedule a staycation date with your significant other. Before reading the staycation ideas below, consider…

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