Advent Attitude? Gratitude!

I try to remember every morning -- when I sit up in bed and plant my feet on the floor -- to begin the day with a litany of gratitude. It was easy today. I thanked God for central heating (It's really cold this morning.) and for giving gifts to the inventors who've make our modern life so comfortable. 

"To Have and To Hold from this Day Forward"

I recently read an article about the need for couples to make their relationship a top priority, especially when family life gets hectic and demanding. I couldn't agree more. A husband and wife are married to each other, not to their children. Of course the offspring are important, but, as the saying goes, "The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother; the best thing a mother can do for her children is to love their father." And love doesn't just happen; it needs to be cultivated.

"Gone for the Day!" A Primer on Staying Close to Your Beloved Esposa!

Reading the Epoch Times is always an adventure. I come across many excellent articles and often clip them to send to family members. This morning the article that caught my eye was advice to parents of children not to let their family responsibilities prevent working on their couple relationship. I sent it to a granddaughter who is expecting her second little one. They are in the busy-busy days of married life.

She and her husband are blessed to live near both of their families and there are abundant baby sitters who would love cuddling the little ones. I never had that. Both sets of parents were too far away to be very helpful. We were pretty much on our own and since I was raised in a frequently moving Navy family I had no local support group. We gradually developed one through Christian Family Movement and church, but that's not the same as family.