Home Alone

20 Year Wedding Anniversary

This last week was the first time Geoff and I have been home alone. Eloise went to study camp for the HSC and Ruby popped down to Melbourne (as you do) with some girlfriends. Unfortunately Geoff couldn’t take time off work. We have been alone for this period of time in the past, when the girls were at school camp or celebrating anniversaries, but we usually go away together for a couple of nights.

Well let me tell you – I learnt something this week, other than really enjoying my own company and how much my home needed a spring clean. Over our married life, we have been told or read about how important it is to protect your marriage. How important it is to spend time together alone, to get away from the little people and just focus on your marriage. I usually just thought, yeah, yeah, yeah. We’ve got a great marriage – it doesn’t mean we don’t discuss things (sometimes heatedly). We have the same ups and downs that any marriage experiences.

BUT, oh my goodness, when it is just the two of you – you really, really need to get along and enjoy each other’s company. I’m so glad that over the years we have sown time into our marriage and am grateful that I listened when being encouraged to value my marriage. So if you ever have the chance to get away together, a movie, a dinner, a sneaky walk along the beach – DO IT (sorry was that me yelling?!!).

In my spring cleaning I came across something I typed up years ago about ways to love your husband (or your wife). It was taken from Chicken Soup for the Couple’s Soul. I’ve listed a few here – just to get you, and me, started.

Love yourself first
Start each day with a hug
Compliment freely and often
Appreciate and celebrate your differences
Go on a date once every week (or as often as you can)
Be forgiving
Hold hands
Laugh at his jokes (now there’s a challenge)
Encourage wonderful dreams
Give the love your partner wants to receive
Give the love you want to receive
Show interest in the other’s work

Enjoy your week. Celebrate Spring!!

Love Chris

My 50th birthday lunch

Chris

6 Comments on “Home Alone”

Geoff Cooper

09.29.2014 at 12:41 pm

Sweetie, people have always said how fast time flies – and now we are saying it! Seems like yesterday that you and I were in the middle of the busyness of raising our 2 beautiful daughters and now we are all moving to the next chapter with our girls both stepping into adulthood. I am very grateful for our family and in particular your focus and passion for making our home an emotionally safe place of love, kindness, fun, inclusion and faith – whilst change is never easy I am confident about the future for all of us – I think a big part of that is the great home life we have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy.
I like this quote: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou, Poet – It always feels great coming home to my family!