Starting Soon

by | Dec 29, 2022 | general

Hi, y’all, I’ll be starting up again this Sunday.

Hope your holidays have been happy and warm. We hit negative digits (Fahrenheit) here in Washington state and I know many of you in the states are facing significant cold as well. Snuggle in with your sweetie and stay warm.

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I have started writing a few small articles that are more supporting concepts than something we might spend a week on. The first one is just a short reminder that Small Steps will get you where you want to go.

Also we are in the middle of our year-end fundraising. If you like what Paul and I do, please consider giving.

 

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Christmas Break

by | Dec 18, 2022 | general

Christmas is just around the corner, so I thought it would be good to take a break to make room for all the holiday fun and extra activities.

No new ideas, just a bit more time to practice “kindness” and “uplifting words“. Can your efforts bring a bit of holiday cheer or make someone’s load a little lighter?

Merry Christmas

See what a difference those two concepts can bring to your spouse and others in your world.

See you in the new year!

 

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A Final Word (7 of 7)

by | Dec 17, 2022 | conclusions

It’s been an interesting week for me.

I realized if I was going to be intentional about encouraging and uplifting words, I needed to look for and speak about the good in my husband.

It’s so easy to get cranky over how my husband does the dishes (different, not wrong). Instead, I need to see that he’s being thoughtful and actually doing the dishes (when it’s usually a part of my household chores)!

Encouraging words come from a gracious heart and mind.

The habit of speaking encouraging words is established with choice and ongoing effort.

 

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What Can I Say? (6 of 7)

by | Dec 16, 2022 | resources

In looking for resources, I came up dry. There just isn’t that much out there on learning to encourage your spouse.

That said, there have been plenty of times I’ve asked God to teach me because I couldn’t find immediate answers.

We can still become experts at encouraging our spouses.

Mostly I think it has to do with becoming a student of your spouse and doing a lot of practice. The more you know your spouse, the easier it will be to say those things that bless and lift them up.

Keep up the good work!

 

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Good Words Again (5 of 7)

by | Dec 15, 2022 | second try

Time to use your words again. 🙂

What has your spouse done well?
What do you love about your spouse?
What is important to your spouse?

Look for those opportunities to speak well of and to your spouse. Encourage them. Lift them up. Take note of what works and doesn’t.

 

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What’s in the Way? (4 of 7)

by | Dec 14, 2022 | road blocks

So how did it go?
What worked well?
What didn’t?
What things made it harder to speak encouraging words?

For myself, being tired is probably the biggest problem. If it’s been a long day, I’m out of energy and I’m ready to pack it in. Being intentionally uplifting and encouraging will likely wait for the next day. Being tired now and then is normal and OK. Being chronically tired means I need to look at my workload and adjust.

I think second to that is just habit. It’s hard to break out of what I’ve done for years. For lack of a better word, I’ve developed a style of speaking. Change takes a choice and ongoing effort.

I’m looking for ways to modify that style for the good. I do have some reminders in place and I also have a friend I meet with weekly. We share life and ask each other tough questions, brainstorm, encourage, pray, etc.. Talking about this will be high on the agenda next week.

Think through your efforts and your spouses responses. Tomorrow we’ll get in some more practice.  🙂

 

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