Marriage and hitting 10!

He said, I only have an hour. She said, I have less than that to be home before he gets home. He could be on his lunch break, and she could be talking about her son. As I rolled by pushing the boys she looked up at me and I knew they were in sin.

As he got out of his car into her car in the parking lot, I knew two families were being torn apart by adultery. My mind immediately wanted to judge, but my heart was sad for what was taking place. She could be me, and he could be my husband. In a world filled with temptation, it could also be you or your husband. Marriage is Gods thing, the vows you take are not only to each other but to God. Satan hates God and anything belonging to him.

Many years ago talking with a young lady about her struggles, insecurities and her marriage, she asked me. "Do you ever fear your husband cheating on you?" I said " girl, if he does, he needs to answer not to me, but to God, so for this I don't fear." I was only married for a year at this time.

This year Sal and I will celebrate 10years, Lord willing in October. Here is what I've learned, simply having God as your foundation is not enough, marriage takes labor. Now having God as your foundation is a must, but you must also do the work... And ladies I mean literally, keeping your man satisfied is included! (oh Lord, I didn't know I was going to be this bold on here, oh well I'm keeping it real!)

Now, I am not claiming to have a perfect marriage, Lord KNOWS it is, because we are not perfect people, it's impossible! So here are a few things to keep in mind, if you are struggling with your marriage....

1. Prayer... You need to pray for your husband and be in prayer for your marriage every day!

2. Communicate- yup we all know this one, but with a busy family it's hard to really communicate effectively. Just recently, we implemented Sunday soup night. We put the kids to bed, grabbed bread bowls filled them with soup and sat at the table at 830 at night talking for two hours.

3. Date your husband- having date nights are essential, this year we have made a conscious effort to have a date night at least once a month. Id imagine as the kids get older we will increase them but right now this works for us.

4. Keep it alive and fresh.. Chickabowow... You know what I'm saying, just do it! Literally.. ( hahah my hubby is going to kill me when he reads this blog... So what I don't kerr) A friend of mine has kept a group of us accountable with challenges, perhaps you also need that in this area.

5. Read together- my hubby and I not only read the psalms together at night, but we go through a book together, he reads and I listen ( or sometimes doze off ) but we have read some really great devotional books together.

6. Keep asking questions- don't stop learning about your husband. You'll be amazed with things you learn so many years later

7. Serve him- remember that taking care of your children doesn't mean you are taking care of him. I struggled with this for a long time. I though as long I was attentive to the kids he would be happy. We have to serve our husbands with the same love and joy that we serve our kids.

8. He cries to- Remember they have feelings to. I know that as the sole provider of our home, my husband carries the burdens of our family. Because he is a male, doesn't mean he doesn't worry about the things we do. When he looks down or tired, help him carry the load.

9. Encourage him- Let him know he is appreciated, let him know you are proud to be his wife and let him know he is doing a good job. A simple text goes along way, but a whisper in the ear goes farther..

10. You are a team -Let him do the dishes, laundry or clean the bathroom if he offers. Being a stay at home mom, I feel that it's my job, but I lay down my pride and let him to it. Why? Because he feels like he is doing his part in the home, and thus makes us a team.

Ladies, I can go on and on and I'm sure that you can to, but know that we are a work in progress and so are our marriages. I didn't anticipate this blog being so long, I guess because there is just so much to say about marriage. May God protect our marriages, I am praying for them, and I hope you will to!

I thought I would share our wedding picture since we are heading for 10!

Dont worry, we aint gansta... we paid for the photos, but we also got the CD, with proofs! This was October 13, 2002

Love you!
Moni