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How to Strengthen Your Marriage in 2020
No one knows better than you that relationships require loving care. Give yourself (and your spouse) a pat on the back for working hard on your marriage since the beginning. If you want a little more spark, a little more connection, or a little more love in your marriage this year, here are a few ideas. Remember what you love about your spouse. One of the best things you can do to revive your marriage is remember why you chose this person in the first place. You might: Create a gratitude-style journal. Each night before the lights go out, scribble down three things that make you grateful for your spouse.…
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Imperfect People Part IV: What’s the Point? Overcoming Marital Challenges by Anonymous
My marital challenges put strain not only on my relationship with my husband but also on my relationship with God. Trusting God On those nights when dark thoughts clouded my mind, and I didn’t want to be a wife or a mother anymore, I cried out to my Heavenly Father, and was disappointed with the lack of love I felt back. I didn’t get much of an answer. The only answers I heard were things I did not think my kind Heavenly Father would say to His struggling daughter. “Tough it out.” “It’s not that bad.” “You’re choosing to be depressed.” I still do not know if those words were…
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Finding Strength Part IV: Contemplating Divorce, Self-Care, Open Endings by Anonymous
A week before Valentine’s Day of this year I realized that I couldn’t keep pretending to be in a happy marriage when both of us were extremely unhappy. I also realized that there was no way I could leave my marriage and find happiness if I didn’t work on myself first. I made a plan and set it into motion. I decided I was going to embark on a healing journey and allow my life to unfold however it needed to. I started doing many things that forced me out of my comfort zone. I joined a non-profit organization and began to donate my time once a week. I began…
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Sink or Swim Part 2: Home of Anxiety & Depression by Anonymous
Let’s set the mood: The wedding was over, the honeymoon was bliss, and real life set in. The first few months of marriage was great. W (my husband) and I found an apartment in a great location in Provo – and for all the married couples looking in Provo, you know that is no small feat! W was going to UVU while I finished my degree at BYU. As the fall semester ended and the Holidays approached, something changed. I felt myself becoming anxious for no perceived reason. I could feel something was wrong. I started to become the queen of nagging, picking apart W on the daily. At first…
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Finding Strength Part III: Faith Crisis, Sex Drought, Less Love, Suicidal Thoughts by Anonymous
He belongs to a very large family and is one of 7 siblings. Unfortunately, he hasn’t felt close to any of them since his mother died when he was 13 years old. She fought a vicious battle with Melanoma that progressed to a point where she was left comatose and dying in their home until it took her life. He watched his mother die slowly. He witnessed her declining every day until she took her last breaths. Shortly after his mother died, his father remarried, and the family moved two hours away. He had just lost his mother, a stranger was now living in his home and trying to control…
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Phenomenal Gifts for Him — on a Budget!
What are the best inexpensive gifts for your husband? We’ve compiled a list of the best budget-friendly gifts for your spouse in the following categories: To Eat To Use To Wear To Play The best part of our gift guide for him? These gifts are what we call budget-flexible. These ideas can all be budget-friendly gifts, or they can be made a little more expensive. Whether you’ve got a $500 budget or a $15 budget, we’re confident you’ll find the perfect gift for the husband below. To Eat When you need gift ideas for your husband on a budget, you can’t go wrong with their favorite snacks. You know it…
- Church of Jesus Christ of LDS, Cultural Differences, Dating, Deciding to Marry, Dishonesty, Family Dynamics, Financial Challenges, Marrying Young
Finding Strength Part II: Marrying Outside the Temple, My Spouse Doesn’t Know the Real Me
While it’s not advice that I’d recommend to most, the truth is that running away from my problems worked. There were a few rough weeks as I scrambled around finding ways to survive. Luckily, I was hired on the spot after an interview at Vivint Smart Home. I started working in their customer service call center which helped me save up enough money to buy a car and a bed. A few weeks later I was able to buy a bedding set for that bed. From there, my life continued to fall into place. Living in Utah, I quickly realized that I would have trouble fitting in if…
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Fatal Young Romance or Lifelong Friendship?
by Anonymous A pregnancy took this young couple by surprise. These college freshmen decided to get married after dating for only a few months. Could such a relationship possibly stand the test of time? This author describes some of the benefits of marrying young as well as benefits of starting a family young, despite the adversity she and her husband faced. Do Shotgun Weddings Last? A True Marriage Story I walked down the isle of the small room carpeted in orange Berber carpet. The shiny brass arch covered in crumpled silk ivy surrounded my soon-to-be husband. A fitting start for the rushed wedding. The sparse wedding party smiled as I…
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Imperfect People Part 3: Marriage Roles and Responsibilities
by Anonymous When we are struggling in our own marriages, sometimes inspiring stories of marriages that survived are exactly what we need. This anonymous author shares how she struggled in her marriage due to love languages, communication fallout, and questions about roles. Marriage roles and responsibilities cause a lot of marital strife. Read what this author learned about making marriage work when she and her husband could not agree on their roles in their long-term relationship. I have opened up about some of the darker moments in my marriage, but I want to paint a better picture of what my relationship looks like. I’d bet money that this will be…
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Different Cultures, Temper Issues, Mama’s Boy: Real Marriage Stories
by Anonymous Looking for real marriage stories that mirror your own? This author can help. While experiencing cultural variations in marriage and a husband that was emotionally close to his mother, this author had a hard time adjusting to marriage. When she realized “Wow, my partner has a temper,” distance really began to grow. How did they “become one” again? Everybody tells you the first years of marriage are considered “the honeymoon stage” because you’re so in love that everything is perfect. NOT TRUE! Our first 3 years were the worst years of our marriage, and I don’t really know how we survived it. If you’re looking to read real…