Have you ever gotten some really good marriage advice? I have, but today's post is actually from a fellow author, Laura Thomas. She's sharing with us a piece of wisdom that she received way back in the beginning of her marriage, and she's embraced it through all these years. Read on! Is it possible to fall head-over-heels in love at the tender age of fourteen and know without a shadow of a doubt that you will one day marry your high school sweetheart? I think so. In fact, I’m living proof and have thirty-two years of marriage to back it up! Our journey together has spanned decades and continents. My husband and I have raised three phenomenal children, experienced the greatest joys and the deepest sorrows together, cheered one another on in our passions and pursuits, and clung to God as our Rock through it all. Back in the day, as a young English girl living in South Wales, I never imagined we would actually follow our crazy teen-dream and raise a family on the other side of the globe. But that’s exactly what we did—and we’ve called beautiful British Columbia our home for a quarter of a century. Now we’re a couple of empty nesters with full hearts. Still dreaming together, still choosing to love one another every single day. “Come grow old with me. The best is yet to be.” William Wordsworth We’re often asked about the best marriage advice we have received over the years, and we invariably harken back to the beginning. We had literally just come home from our honeymoon in Cyprus—all tanned and starry-eyed—and were excited to attend a Christian conference with author and apologist, Josh McDowell, who was visiting the UK. After the presentation, we had the opportunity to meet Mr. McDowell and explained that we were fresh, shiny newlyweds. His priceless encouragement to us was: “Never come off your honeymoon, kids. My wife and I have been married many years, and we never came off our honeymoon. It’s the best advice I can give you.” I think he was referring to that glow, that adoration we have for one another when we are newlyweds—to hang onto it with a vice grip. To remember what attracted us to our spouse in the first place, make time for one another, maintain that desire to serve one another and put their needs first always. Have fun … and keep the romance alive! Of course, all this takes monumental effort and there are seasons where it has been challenging for us. Stresses of babies and business and a dozen other excuses could easily have chiseled away at our “us” time—but we took Mr. McDowell’s words to heart and they have served us well over the years. Romance comes in many forms and I’m the first to embrace a vacation for the two of us somewhere tropical complete with palm trees, ocean breezes, and umbrella-clad drinks. We’ve had our fun in the sun and made some glorious memories on our travels and adventures, but what really matters is everyday real-life romance. Like on a regular Tuesday. It can be a sweet compliment in a text, a walk in the park hand-in-hand, or a chocolate bar brought as a surprise. A lingering look, a shared dessert, or wearing a favourite perfume. In fact, sometimes it’s the simple things that mean the most. Date nights are protected and precious. Conversation at a coffee shop or a special dress-up dinner out, time for laughing and planning and dreaming and diving deep is vital. And so much fun! We have also enjoyed serving together at church. There’s something special about volunteering shoulder-to shoulder, and being involved in marriage ministry recently and getting to cheer other couples on has been such a privilege. Pre-marriage mentoring is a particular highlight for us, and I even wrote a book especially for brides-to-be and newlyweds. Perhaps it comes as no great shock that as a fiction author, I love to write about love and romance, too. My latest Flight to Freedom 3-book series is Christian romantic suspense and was an absolute treat to write. It’s so fulfilling to be able to create a compelling page-turner that incorporates an irresistible love story with real faith struggles—writing heartwarming encouragement for your soul is my dream job! Even with over three decades of marriage and a whole lot of romance under our belts, I will never, ever take our relationship for granted. With wisdom from the Word, a much-needed sense of humour, a truckload of grace, and our very best attempts at selflessness—we will continue to work hard and keep that “honeymoon” going… Because marriage is worth it. A published Christian author, Laura writes heartwarming encouragement for your soul. She has three Christian romantic suspense novels published as well as a Christian teen fiction trilogy, marriage book, and middle-grade novel. She is published in several anthologies and writes devotionals, articles, and stories that are published in magazines and online. She also shares musings on her blog and is represented by literary agent, Cyle Young. Laura is a chocoholic mom of three, married to her high school sweetheart. Originally from the UK, they live in Kelowna, British Columbia as audacious empty-nesters. Find her books, blog, and bio at www.laurathomasauthor.com Laura’s socials: INSTAGRAM: @lauracthomas FACEBOOK PAGE: @LauraThomasAuthor TWITTER: @Laura_Thomas_ PINTEREST: lauracthomas GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5837074.Laura_Thomas BOOKBUB: https://bit.ly/2Uj4gyR
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This is a place for me to share thoughts and ideas not just related to writing. Thoughts about what's going on in my life, about an idea I got that I thought shareworthy, or just a funny anecdote.
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