On the first weekend of April my wife Elaine and I attended a marriage conference hosted by FamilyLife Canada at the Fairmont Mont-Tremblant. We drove 6 hours to get there and once we settled in to a great king sized room, we went exploring. The hotel was a little out of our league. It was the first time in my life I have ever had valet parking. However, the conference was just what we needed to refresh our relationship. 86 couples gathered to learn from great teachers; Neil & Sharol Josephson, Keith & Sheila Gregoire and Che & Shireen Spencer.
We worked through a variety of lessons and activities with an 85 page workbook (his & hers versions). There were very actionable lessons with work on your own then share with spouse sections plus several couples’ projects including writing a love letter (we were both teary). Saturday evening was date night! We had a delicious dinner and went back to our room and played Carcassonne.
The weekend focus was Marriage Oneness
- Relational Oneness – close
- Emotional Oneness – connected
- Physical Oneness – content
- Spiritual Oneness – complete
- 5 Things Your Spouse Wants You To Know (men & women separately)
Some great quotes:
- Great marriages don’t just happen
- Sea otters hold paws when they sleep so they stay together
- A great love isn’t built from big promises, but from small choices
- Conflict is inevitable. In the midst of a conflict believe we want the best for each other
- Not every touch leads to a touchdown
- Nothing predicts a couple’s future better than how they retell their past
- Oneness with God, as in marriage, grows over a lifetime
- Do a good thing now and do a better thing tomorrow. And soon you will be doing a great thing. Seth Godin
So, Elaine & I went to a marriage conference & we did talk! And it was good! We both learned and laughed and ate good food. We won a book and a trip back for another one.
Meandering Moose 