Tuesday, May 12, 2015

New Family Traditions

It has been three months since my husband moved in and so far, it has been amazing. I'm not saying that our life is perfect. Heck NO. Like any other newlyweds, Alan and I are figuring things out as we go along. 

We are so blessed to be mentored by and to witness the lives of  some of the wonderful married couples that are greatly dear to us. And so let me share with you what we've learned and what traditions we are keeping for our own little family.

Blessing each other before leaving the home. One of the traditions we've set is that the leader of the home must bless his family before setting their foot outside. So everyday, before I leave the home for work, he places his hand over my head and blesses me with Numbers 6:24-26: "May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, And give you peace. Amen". This morning, we left the home together because he was bound for a job interview and so I blessed him and prayed over him. Blessing one another, just as simple as saying God bless you, is so important so that each of us and our day is covered in prayer.

Wednesday date nights. Another tradition we've taken on is to go out on a date every Wednesday. Now that it's only just the two of us, we are taking advantage of this luxury of time. Our weekends can be so busy in between serving in the music ministry, doing errands/household chores, catching up with family and friends, parties, and church so it is important to set apart a weeknight for just the two of us. Since we share the love for food, we enjoy discovering restaurants together. Here, we don't only eat but we try to dialog and ask how our week is going and we raise any concerns to each other if there are any. If money is of the essence, spending quality time can be as simple as going out for a cup of tea or simply walking in the park together.

Hug/kiss each other and say I love you everyday. Sad but true, we didn't grow up in families that say I love you to each other as often. For us, we thought actions speak louder than words. We weren't touchy either. However, showering your loved ones with hugs and kisses, affirming each other and saying you love them everyday are essential. When we knew that my love language was touch, my husband made sure my love tank is filled.

Share meals together. We try as much as we can to eat together (which explains the weight gain hahaha). In the past, I wasn't in the habit of eating breakfast. When Alan came, he would wake up early to prepare my cereals with fruit and a fresh brewed milk tea and I couldn't pass the sweet gesture. In the evening, we eat dinner together as well in our dining table free from electronic devices. Researchers confirmed that families who eat dinner together and catch up on each others everyday lives reap great benefits especially for the (future) children.

Pray together every night. As we retire to bed at the end of each day, no matter how exhausted we might be, my husband and I read each other scriptures and meditation just like reading a child a bed time story. Reading God's word together is one effective way of growing in faith as a couple. If we are looking for a manual for marriage, we need not to look further. We can find all we need to know in the Bible. 

Alan and I were raised up totally different by two different families. Traditions that are familiar to me and I'm comfortable with could be strange to him and vice versa. So we compromised, and agreed to come up with our own. These are traditions of our own choosing and making. Traditions that we hope to influence our future generations. 


 xoxo,
Joselle