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Nurturing Marriage MS, BS
Nurturing Marriage Quick Facts
Main Areas: Marriage, Relationships, Love, Intimacy, DatingCareer Focus: Authors, Speakers
Affiliation: Nurturing Marriage; FamilyShare
Hey there.
Aaron & April here. We are so happy you are visiting our site! We are two happily married people, constantly working to nurture our marriage and take care of each other.
Marriage is so wonderful, and while our marriage isn't perfect, we are striving to be intentional about the little things, day-by-day, and week-by-week. We are creating our "happily ever after." And you know what? It's working.
We are also working on nurturing our two rambunctious little boys. They are teaching us about love, patience, and selflessness in ways we never would have imagined.
We enjoy laughing, goofing off, eating cereal late at night, and watching sports (okay, it really is Aaron that likes watching sports and April is just a good sport!). We love to read books together, go on walks, hold hands, and kiss (and a whole lot more). We are totally real people, with a totally real and beautiful marriage.
Why NURTURING MARRIAGE?
We believe in marriage. We believe in nurturing marriage. We believe that marriages can be beautiful, meaningful, and fulfilling. Having said that, we know that marriage is something you have to work at, and be intentional about. "Happily ever after," can be a reality, but it requires effort, determination, and commitment - from both spouses.
Every marriage has its ups and downs and we have yet to meet a happily married couple that hasn't endured bumps in the road. As we've traveled the road of life together (and continue to do so), we've discovered key principles that make marriage meaningful. In fact, they make marriage the most wonderful and exquisite companionship imaginable! With the proper care and nurturing, YOUR marriage can become more fulfilling and exciting than you can even dream of.
Families are the foundation of society - and marriages are the foundation a family is built on. We believe in marriage. And we believe in families.
We are excited that you are here, and hope you enjoy some good reads (and a few laughs) that will motivate you to nurture your marriage!
Favorite Quotes & Thoughts from Nurturing Marriage
"Some think of happiness as a glamorous life of ease, luxury, and constant thrills; but true marriage is based on a happiness which is more than that, one which comes from giving, serving, sharing, sacrificing, and selflessness."
~ Spencer W. Kimball ~
Getting Started With Nurturing Marriage
OUR FOUNDATIONAL ANALOGY We get it - meeting that special someone, falling in love, and dreaming of a beautiful and perfect "happily ever after," marriage. Somehow the "getting married" part is super exciting and dreamy, and the "staying married" part can sometimes be a bit more challenging.
We get marriage.
We get how real it is.
We understand the ups and the downs that come with each marriage.
We believe that marriage can, and should be, vibrant, beautiful, and meaningful. Marriage can be an incredibly wonderful journey for both parties involved. We have learned that the secret ingredient to a happy marriage is choosing to NURTURE your marriage. Without the proper care and nurturing, few marriages will ever grow into the magnificent companionships they have the potential to become.
Our foundational analogy for NURTURING MARRIAGE is the story of a TREE.
1) The "neglected tree," or "neglected marriage," story:
Imagine you decide to plant a tree. So, you start with a seed. You plant the seed because you believe that it will grow into something beautiful. As the seed starts to grow and blossom into a tree, you enjoy the beauty of it and take time to care for it. However, as the days and months march on, competing priorities arise and you slowly begin to become less concerned with caring for the young tree. And so, the neglect begins (unintentionally, of course!).
- You stop watering the tree.
- You stop pruning it.
- You stop nourishing it.
- You stop nurturing it.
With time, the lack of attention leads to a lack of growth, and the tree begins to suffer. You don't notice at first, but the tree is slowing starting to die. Finally, it hits you that you're about to lose the tree you've invested so much in. This causes you to reflect back on when you first planted the tree and the hopes and dreams you once had. You realize that your neglect of the tree has led to this sad state.
Now, we pause the story here. The tree can either continue to be neglected and suffer, or you can choose to refocus your efforts, nurture the tree again, and work diligently to help it grow into the magnificent tree it can become.
Just like the tree, sometimes marriages get neglected. As a result, they begin to suffer. This isn't because you and your spouse aren't right for each other, or because you don't have potential for growth and happiness together. Certainly, there can be extenuating circumstances, but that's typically not the case. Rather, problems arise as a result of failing to properly care for and nurture marriage.
A seed/developing tree that isn't nurtured, stops growing. Period. Likewise, a marriage that isn't carefully and intentionally nurtured, stops growing and blossoming. It is inevitable. 2) The NURTURING MARRIAGE story:
There's another - more hopeful - version of the story. You plant a seed because you know that it can grow into something beautiful. As the seed grows and blossoms into a tree, you realize it will take a lot more work than you thought for it to become everything you were hoping for - so you refocus your efforts.
- You consistently and intentionally water the tree.
- You consistently and intentionally prune the tree.
- You consistently and intentionally nourish the tree.
- You consistently and intentionally nurture the tree.
As a result of your consistent and intentional efforts, the seed grows into a vibrant, beautiful, and purposeful tree.
The seed doesn't change - it's the same in both scenarios. What changes is HOW the seed is NURTURED.
Like a young tree, marriages are tender. They need CONSTANT NURTURING. They need to develop deep roots. Roots of loyalty, love, compassion, and kindness. Proper care and nurturing in marriage creates a foundation that will withstand the seasons and storms of life. Constant nurturing results in tremendous growth and happiness in the present moment, and especially as the marriage matures and achieves its potential.
We believe that marriage matters, a lot! YOUR marriage matters. By giving the proper care and NURTURING to your marriage, you will find that it will become more beautiful and meaningful than you can even imagine.
