Read the Good Book

One aspect of a marriage that is often overlooked is the spiritual
aspect of the relationship. With the pressing demands of the both the
physical and the emotional needs, the spiritual needs of a couple can
be overlooked or dismissed altogether. There is always so many
things that need doing. Then what little time is left is usually
dedicated to meeting emotional needs.

Take time to add a spiritual component to your life and your
relationship. A great way to do this is to read from the scriptures
together. For those who already have some religion or belief, take
some time to study your holy books together as a couple. By
fulfilling the spiritual needs, you can add a new dimension to your
relationship that you did not know you were missing.

Even if you do not consider any writing be "The Word of God", your
relationship can still benefit. Just pick one of the standard
religious texts, be it the Bible, Koran, or some Eastern text. By
studying it together you will learn more about yourself and each
other.

Batter Up!

Have you ever been to one of those batting cages? The ones around
here have different cages with pitching machine that throw either
softballs or regular baseballs. The pitching is either fast, medium
or slow. The slow pitch was slow enough that even a first grader
was able to hit it a couple of times. Each of you can take turns
hitting a few pitches while the other provides the cheering section.
A great way for the just the two of you or the whole family to have a
good time and not spend too much money.

Sunrise, Sunset

With fall here, the sun is getting up later and going to bed earlier
each day. The next couple of weeks, before the shift in daylight
savings, are a great time to do something few couples take time to do:
watch the sun rise. The sun is coming up pretty late so you don't
have to get up early. Have yourselves a warm breakfast. Then make
some nice hot cocoa and go outside and spend a few minutes counting
the stars, watching them disappear, and seeing the sun peep over the
horizon.

Can't manage a sunrise? Try a sunset instead. Sunsets are also worth a
few minutes with your sweetie. If you have the kids along, have them
try and name all the colors they see.

How About a Foot Rub

Most everyone loves their feet rubbed. We stand on them, walk on
them, jump on them and otherwise abuse our feet all day long. So, its
no surprise that a little pampering of the feet goes a long way toward
making your sweetie feel pampered all over. Rubbing them with a nice
peppermint lotion just before bed seems to work well.

As a matter of fact, there's a method to the whole foot rub. There
are those who claim that like acupuncture, reflexology
contributes to the health of the whole body. In reflexology, each
area of the foot is mapped to some other area of the body. For
example if you have a head cold, then rubbing the "sinus" section of
the foot, the pads of the toes, is supposed to help. Does it really
work? Try it and find out. The worst that could happen is your
sweetie gets a nice foot rub out of the deal.

Make 'em Laugh

Do you remember "Singing in the Rain"? The "Make 'em Laugh" scene is
one of the most memorable of the movie. One of the reasons that the
movie holds up so well is that in today's world of movie-magic and
computer effects, is that that scene of dancing and slap-shtick is still a joy
to watch. I just laugh and say, "How did he do that?"
Maybe I should have included "Singing in the Rain" in the romantic
movies post, but I digress.

Tonight, make your sweetie have a good laugh. While jokes are good
for a laugh, a personal anecdote is better. Better yet is
recalling an experience that you have shared like the time during
your honeymoon when the the waitress looked at you and exclaimed
"Slob!". Then she came back and said "Keep it on you plate or in your
mouth!". That one still makes us both bust-up laughing whenever we think about it.