We are mid-January and now we cannot go anywhere without seeing red and pink hearts…they are everywhere! Many people enjoy the upcoming holiday, while others dread the holiday, calling it, “Singles Awareness Day” instead of Valentine’s Day.

A few weeks ago, we discussed marriage as a partnership like you’d find in an adventure movie.  Today, we need to look at partnership from a slightly different angle.

Yes, our differences can cause conflict or complementarity.  They can push us apart or join us together.  The reality, though, is this only works when both partners do three, specific things very consistently.

All the laundry was folded, the kitchen was clean (enough for me), and there was nothing left for me to work on.  Tara was watching Christmas movies, the kids were entertaining themselves, and I wasn’t sure what to do next.

Part of my morning prayer routine is reading the daily scriptures that the Catholic Church gives us for Mass and spending time pondering the message God is calling me to hear.  After pondering for a moment or two, I spend time journaling about the message.  Today, I literally wrote: “I think the readings want me to know that Dan is very blessed to have me as his wife!”  I then spent about five minutes laughing.  Of course, I told Dan, exactly how blessed he was.  He is so smitten, that he agreed with me.  This made me laugh even harder. 

If you Google “what to do when marriage is boring”, you’re going to find a whole bunch of websites that suggest some sort of activity to overcome the boredom.  They suggest new experiences, changing routine, rearranging the furniture, or visiting an attraction neither of you has seen before.  The list goes on and on.  

Are you a good partner?

Partnership is one of those skills that people assume they have until proven otherwise and, boy, oh boy, are people good at proving otherwise!  We all understand the concept, but when it comes to execution, it can be a spectacular disaster.

“Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” (Luke 12: 48 NAB) This line from the Gospel stopped me dead in my tracks this morning as I read it.  I have heard it several times before, but today it struck me in a different way.  It led me to think about my marriage and family life.