Autumn
• season of richness and maturity-reaping
• the benefits of what has gone before
• marriage more established having weathered tough times
• may be teenagers in the house
• emotionally the most exhausting stage of parenting
• the greatest need is to support and encourage each other
Winter
• empty-nest stage for many
• probably fewer demands with an opportunity for more time together
• can be the most exciting stage of marriage
• the greatest needs are shared interests and good communication
Question:Reflect on what you've heard so far. If you are in one of these seasons, talk together about the pressures you've worked through until now in your relationship, and the pressures you're currently facing. If you’re not here yet, what do you think it will be like?
make your husband or wife feel like the most important person in the world to you
focus on what you like and admire about your partner
express gratitude for what your partner does
show appreciation for who your partner is
make it a daily discipline
Write down six things you appreciate about your husband or wife. (Be specific: it may be thanking them for what they do, or it may be expressing your appreciation for who they are-try to make it a mixture looking particularly for things you may have come to take for granted)
When you have both finished, show each other what you have put.
You may wish to use the worksheet below for this question: