I admit, National Marriage Week (February 7-14) has not been on my radar until this year. No, I didn’t even know it existed. Where have I been? National Marriage Week was adopted in the U.S. in 2002 – six years after its birth in the UK in 1996.
Rick and I celebrated our 30th Anniversary October 2013. Since it was a milestone, we spent time reflecting over the years remembering our meek beginning and how the lack of money didn’t phase us, we were “in love.” We spent time with friends, jobs became careers, we lived as the world lives and then somehow all this bliss turned into a near divorce.
God in His perfect timing and grace saved our marriage. There was nothing really unusual about our road to divorce (see this page for attorney help); he said, she said, I want this, he wants that, life is about me not him, I don’t “love” him anymore, there is no reason we shouldn’t divorce, even our Pastor said it sounded like a good idea. Wait a minute – did I just say our Pastor agreed that a divorce was a good idea? Thank you, thank you Lord for stepping in and orchestrating events that only you could have initiated that brought us back to You ultimately and then our marriage. The advice child support from Jensen Family Law was also extremely useful to us, in the time of need.
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” Mark 10:7-9
After recommitting to our marriage God blessed us with three beautiful daughters. Life on this side of heaven has not been easy but God is faithful to be with us always through grief, sorrow, disappointments, and trials. We count it joy to be His children. Understand why you may want to hire a lawyer in some cases to sort through things legally and fairly.
Can we decrease the divorce rate? Marriage Week was the brainchild of Richard Kane who started it in the UK in 1996. In the UK it’s strength has been the volume of local activity, mainly in churches that has sought to strengthen and celebrate the relationships within their sphere of influence. Marriage Week is a primary preventative campaign which seeks to highlight the benefits of healthy marriage to society, media and governments, whilst seeking to educate and inform couples regarding the benefits of an ever improving relationship, through largely church based events, and media coverage. You can view UK’s Marriage Week website here.
I have to admit I am a little skeptical about the agenda for USA’s National Marriage Week organization but you can view their website for your own conclusion and tell me what you think by commenting. Do you think we can decrease the divorce rate? What can we do as individuals?
Sonya Kay
Entrepreneurship flows in Sonya’s blood. Some businesses include an artistic rubber stamp manufacturing business, opening and running a bed & breakfast, having a fabric and yarn shop, and currently growing her professional longarm quilting business. As a serial entrepreneur, she loves to mentor and coach small businesses. She misses farm life, loves to travel, and enjoys her husband, children, their spouses, and of course the grandkids.