Creative Ways to Inject Romance into Your Marriage

From FOCUS ON THE FAMILY, Today, 18-Apr-2008 edition

 

Creative Ways to Inject Romance into Your Marriage

By Dr James Dobson

 

Are you tired of that same old dinner and a movie?

 

Are you sick of watching mindless television or yet another

boring soccer game? Maybe it’s time to come up with some

creative ways to date your spouse.

 

Dave and Claudia Arp have written a book entitled 52 Dates

for You and Your Mate. In it, they list some great creative ways

to put a little romance into your marriage.

 

How about a gourmet cooking date? You choose a recipe

you've never cooked before, make a grocery list, shop together

and then you chop, stir and simmer to your hearts’ content.

 

How about a marriage history date? This is a time you set apart

to remember and catalogue some of the good times you’ve shared

together.

 

There’s nothing better to rekindle the old romantic feelings

than to stroll down memory lane, look at pictures and write

a marriage journal or just reminisce together.

 

There are many ways to break out of the rut and bring

a new freshness and energy into the marriage. All it takes

is a little creativity.

Learning from Mistakes

From FOCUS ON THE FAMILY, Today, 17-Apr-2008 edition

 

Learning from Mistakes

By Dr James Dobson

 

Have you noticed that kids sometimes try to be helpful

but in doing so only make your life more complicated?

 

I heard a story about a mother who was sick in bed with the flu.

 

Her darling daughter wanted so much to be a good nurse.

She fluffed the pillows and brought a magazine for Mum to read,

and even showed up with a surprise cup of tea.

 

“Why, you're such a sweetheart,” the mother said. “I didn't know

you even knew how to make tea.”

 

“Oh, yes,” the little girl replied, “I learned by watching you.

I put the tea leaves in the pan and then I put in the water

and I boiled it, and then I strained it into a cup. But I couldn't find

the strainers so I used the fly swatter instead.”

 

“You what?!” the mother screamed.

 

And the little girl said, “Oh, don't worry, Mom, I didn't use

the new fly swatter, I used the old one!”

 

When kids try their hardest and they get it all wrong in spite of

themselves, parents often prevent their children from doing

something that could result in a mess or a mistake.

 

But I urge parents not to fall into that trap. Your child needs

to make mistakes because that’s how he learns.

Good Family Man

From FOCUS ON THE FAMILY, Today, 16-Apr-2008 edition

 

Good Family Man

By Dr James Dobson

 

Remember when a pot was something you used for cooking

and when bad really meant bad, not good?

 

It is funny how some words pass in and out of common usage.

I was just thinking the other day, for example, about the phrase

“good family man”.

 

David Blankenhorn, head of an organisation that studies

cultural values, explains that this compliment was

once bestowed as a true badge of honour.

 

Look at those three words that make up the phrase.

Good refers to widely-accepted moral values. Family speaks of

purposes larger than the self. ‘Man’ denotes a sense of masculinity.

It seems that contemporary culture no longer celebrates

a widely-shared ideal of such a man who puts his family first.

 

Where do we see it on television? There are just too few instances.

We are rather more likely to come across superstar athletes,

the ladies’ man, or the entrepreneur who sacrificed it all,

including his wife and children, to make his start-up company

a success.

 

Fortunately, it is never too late to bring this simple phrase

back into vogue.

The Mayonnaise Jar and the Coffee

The Mayonnaise Jar and the Coffee

 

 

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,

when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the

mayonnaise jar… and the coffee…

 

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items

in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up

a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it

with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full.

 

They agreed that it was.

 

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them

into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the

open areas between the golf balls He then asked the students again

if the jar was full.

 

They agreed it was.

 

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it

into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded

with an infamous ‘yes.’

 

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under

the table and poured the entire contents into the jar,

effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

 

The students laughed.

 

‘Now,’ said the professor, as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you

to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls

are the important things. Your family, your children, your faith,

your health, your friends, and your favourite passions.’

 

‘Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained,

your life would still be full.’

 

‘The pebbles are the other things that matter. Your job, your house,

and your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuffs.’

 

‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is

no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,

you will never have room for the things that are important to you.’

 

‘Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups.

Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will

always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care

of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your

priorities. The rest is just sand.’

 

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the

coffee represented.

 

The professor smiled. ‘I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you

that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room

for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.’

 

Have great day!

Sunday, A Day Of Rest

From FOCUS ON THE FAMILY, Today, 15-Apr-2008 edition

 

Sunday, A Day Of Rest

By Dr James Dobson

 

Remember when the world seemed to slow down

on Sundays?

 

Monday through Friday was for work and school.

Saturday was for chores, while Sunday was a quieter day

when things geared down for the world to catch its breath.

 

But with the passage of time, Sunday began to lose its

significance.

 

Now we huff and puff seven days a week, hurtling down

the road toward burnout or even early demise.

 

I recently had the privilege to spend some time with

Truett Cathy, founder and chief executive officer of

a restaurant corporation.

 

When he began his business in the 1950s, he determined

that he would close all of his stores on Sunday, regardless

of the circumstances. Back then, it was an accepted practice.

Now it is extremely unusual, especially for a restaurant chain

with many outlets in malls. But till this day, Cathy has

never wavered from this commitment. He believes that

Sunday is a special day; a day set apart for rest and

regeneration.

 

Sounds old-fashioned? Perhaps. But, maybe it’s one

old-fashioned value that still has a place in the world today.

Emergency Room Lessons

From FOCUS ON THE FAMILY, Today, 14-Apr-2008 edition

 

Emergency Room Lessons

By Dr James Dobson

 

Most of us parents know the trauma of rushing our young ones

off to the local hospital emergency room.

 

We usually encounter crowded waiting rooms and

frustrating forms to fill out, and all the while we’re

wondering, “What’s wrong with my child?” and

“How bad is he or she hurt?”

 

While you and I are sleeping peacefully at 2am,

the emergency room can be bustling with activity,

with people who have merely cut themselves while

washing glasses, to victims of serious car accidents

and crime.

 

My friend and emergency room physician, Dr Elsburg Clark,

has been alarmed over the past few years by the growing

number of patients, especially children, who are hurt

from household drugs, poisonous chemicals, and accidental

shootings.

 

Many times he has had the unenviable task of telling

families that their little ones are not going home.

 

He strongly suggests basic things that parents can do

to help avoid future emergency visits.

 

Never assume that it won’t happen to your child. It’s not

new advice, but we need to hear it again.

 

Lock away all medicines and chemicals and flammable

substances. Let’s make our homes safe havens in which

our children can grow.