“Love is never something ready made, something merely given to man and woman, it is…a task which they are set. Love should be seen as something which never ‘is’ but is always only ‘becoming’…” – St. John Paul II

“I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.” – Brené Brown

There have been times in our marriage when we felt ourselves drifting apart. Not because of any one catastrophic event, but just because we weren’t working on our relationship. We were just getting by. But in a culture antithetical to marriage, just “getting by” is not enough. All Catholic couples need to work to cultivate a dynamic, vibrant relationship, strong enough to bear the demands of family life, and weather everything the world will throw at it.

The reality is, we are never done working on our marriage. In this podcast, we discuss the importance of “checking in” with our spouse to see how we are doing. To do this effectively we need to practice how to listen but also practice being vulnerable. This podcast has a worksheet that you can download at our website and use as a tool to work with your spouse towards a more intentional, unified marriage.

Download our three-part guide to a more united marriage at https://messyfamilyproject.org/marriage

Also you will find other items we mentioned like a parish bulletin insert and how to celebrate and advocate for marriage online.

It’s not about the nail video- https://messyfamilyproject.org/resources/its-not-about-the-nail

Today we discussed a great book called Daring Greatly by Brené Brown. If you get a copy at Amazon by clicking this link, our ministry gets a small donation. Thanks in advance!