Monday, January 17, 2011

Can you keep a secret?

Maybe it's not that big of a secret but,
It's not always sunshine & rainbows & smiles -

marriage is tough. Scratch that, relationships [in general] are tough.

I guarantee
-You're going to argue
-You're going to disagree
-You're not going to communicate well
-You're going to be stressed
-You're going to want your own space
-You're going to cry
-You're going to want out
-You're going to say things you regret later
-You're going to wish you had taken that extra minute

However, I also guarantee:
-You're going to smile. A lot.
-You're going to feel so much love it might feel like your heart will burst
-You're going to cry. Happy tears.
-You're going to challenge each other
-You're going to make each other laugh till you cry
-You're going to enjoy every minute with each other
-You're not going to want the day to end
-You're going to want to stay in bed all day on a Sunday making out
-You're going to imagine the rest of your life with that person
-You're going to talk about your kiddos/future kiddos
-You're going to want to make them happy, even if that means giving up something you want.


It's all about what you think it worth fighting/crying/waiting for...
I'll take the good with the bad any day. But I do know it's important to continually grow and cultivate a healthy/romantic/loving relationship, ya know?

Which is why we have decided to start reading together again. We read together at one time in our life and it was amazing not just for our relationship with each other - but ourselves. Which is why I'm asking you, my bloggee friends whom I love and adore:

What books are you reading?
What books are you and your husband reading?
& [by advice from an amazing source] What books are you reading to your kids?

I appreciate any and all feedback in advance. 
Here's to hours of making our marriage more solid through pages of good books :)
via weheartit.com

9 comments:

  1. Good idea! Josh and I try to read the Bible in sync so we can talk about things, but this has gotten harder and harder lately with our +1. We read through the Harry Potters together (except he lapped me on this last one and is itching for me to finish so we can discuss)! My favorite marriage books we've read are "I, Isaac, Take Thee Rebekkah" by Ravi Zacarrias (sp) and "Sheet Music" by Kevin Leman. One of my favorite books Josh & I read is "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." It's dark, but it's an amazing book. I had read it in HS and wanted him to read it after we got married. I also love 13 Reasons Why... and to Joel we read picture and board books (my current fave, "We're Going on a Bear Hunt") but we've also been reading him the Chronicles of Narnia series since he was in the womb (he is named after CS Lewis after all). :)

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  2. I wish I could "retweet" this entire post. I love it so much! Thanks for all of those truths :)

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  3. This is so so true Amanda! I love the honesty of this blog. The Hub and I try to read the bible as much as possible. We just open it up, and read what ever grabs our attention. Love this!

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  4. Just yesterday I purchased the devotional "Streams in the Desert." It's SUPER EASY daily reading to fill your heart and soul with promises of hope to combat all the daily general struggles we face.

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  5. amazing post! have ya'll read The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work? we loved it :)

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  6. This post couldn't be anymore true! One thing Sean and I strongly believe in is date nights. Whether it is just staying home and cooking dinner, watching a movie, or actually going out it is so important to have that special time together. We are both always so busy and we notice that we argue more if we don't have that "down" time to just BE together!

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  7. Such a great idea! Because Graham and I are low on the budget, I 'm always searching for cheap things we can do together that will actually mean something. As you know, I've been doing that one-book-a-week thing, and just last night Graham saw me reading and said "I need to read more." We bought a book a while back to start reading together but never have. We're just going to read classics, things that (other educators and) I feel are must-reads for everyone. I'm going to suggest this to him and maybe he'll join me on next week's book!

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  8. great post manda. :) that which is hard on us, teaches us to keep our heads up, and appreciate the days that are a little easier, just that little bit more.

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  9. Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas is amazing (but deep) and we enjoy the couple's devotional that goes with it (they are short and easy). It spurred a lot of discussions between us. We also read/pray Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian together.

    For family read-aloud books we're going through the Little House series with my daughter (6) and we're reading Indian in the Cupboard to my boys (3&4). For picture books, the kids LOVE Llama Llama and Kim Lewis' farm stories about sheep farms and sheep dogs.

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