I’ve been a wedding photographer since before I was married myself and began our own family and, still, my favorite part is watching a couple commit their lives to each other with wedding vows. A wedding ceremony is a decision like a marriage is a decision. You choose to stand next to the person you’ve chosen to love and you decide to promise vows. I love to hear the message and witness the joyful tears. It’s all very symbolic.
And, not to pop the bubble too early but marriage is also hard. Like, really tough at times. It requires that decision every day, for the rest of your lives together. It requires patience, kindness, respect, trust and communication. Probably in that order but all at the same time too! My husband and I now have three children and we don’t pretend it’s easy. One thing I’ve learned over the last decade is you’re going to experience highs and lows. Like most things. But I’ve also noticed the lows bring us to higher highs when we work through them together.
Early on in our marriage we discovered a need to connect weekly. We’re both busy people and it’s easy to forget to connect on a deeper level every week. So, about 10 years ago I found this article that included some weekly questions for your spouse. Over the years we’ve tweaked them and after three kids we don’t always ask them weekly but we do still have a weekly date night that formed out of this initial habit. And, these questions now come up in our daily conversations around the kitchen or in the car as they’ve become part of our dialogue.
- What was the best part of your past week?
- What would you do differently from last week?
- What does your week ahead look like?
- How can I help you this upcoming week?
- How can I pray for you this week?
We take turns answering each one before moving on to the next. These five questions have potentially saved my marriage many times over. My husband, John, and I would be thrilled if these five questions keep you and your spouse or partner connected each week too. And, I have to stress, prayer can be in any form you want, but I found this one question to be the most important.
Because family and marriage are important on a micro and macro level, we hope you’ll pray for us too.
cheers, Heather Brulez
