Valentine’s Day is this Sunday. For a lot couples this is a day where they can put other things that are going on in their lives on hold, and just enjoy the day together. For couples who have drifted apart or who get busy with their day to day lives it can be a great chance to reconnect. It’s unfortunate, however, that on February 15, life will resume unchanged for most couples. So what kinds of other things can couples be doing to strengthen their relationship?

As it so happens, this week is National Marriage Week. There are a ton of resources out there on the National Marriage Week website, but I am especially interested in what Family Life is doing. (A big thanks to our Communications Director, Andrea Gerhard, for making me aware of this!). I’ve inserted a link at the end of the blog where you can sign up for a bunch of awesome e-mail resources that you can receive on a daily basis throughout the week, like Valentine date ideas, a quiz on how well you’re communicating, and more! I like this idea because it keeps a couple engaged throughout the course of 7 days. I’ve signed up and am looking forward to seeing what they have for me each day.

Unfortunately, there is often a lot of pressure to make Valentine’s Day great. If you were to ask people things they associate with Valentine’s Day they might say flowers or chocolate or Cupid, and there is certainly nothing wrong with any of those things. But just like too much focus on the wedding day and not enough thought about the days that follow, it may be wiser to focus on what we can all be doing every day to make our marriages better. There are always a million excuses to not do things that will strengthen your marriage. Maybe it’s a lack of time, which can definitely be a real struggle for a working couple, especially one that has kids. But many things that can be done to strengthen your marriage don’t require a large time commitment. Even something as simple as going to bed at the same time can build intimacy and give you a chance to connect after a long day. I hope many people sign up for the Family Life Marriage Week emails and find some of the information useful. Even though Valentine’s Day is on Sunday, there is a whole week’s worth of great ideas to put into practice leading up to the big day. I hope everyone has a great Valentine’s Day and blessings on your marriages!

Jarvis

LEARN MORE ABOUT NATIONAL MARRIAGE WEEK AND RECEIVE RESOURCES HERE: https://donate.familylife.com/c/2016-02/marriage/01/