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eMatrimony Newsletter - February 26, 2008

Dear Lovers,

May the Peace and Blessings of the Lord be with you and your families during this Holy Season of Lent.

We are proud to serve as your Community Pillar Coordinators, assisting the US Secretariat Team of Tony & Cathy Witczak, and Father Emile Frische. One of our Pillar responsibilities is the eMatrimony Newsletter, and we hope you are enjoying the new format and new approach for this wonderful communications tool. We thank Jon & Hilary Olson for doing such a good job as the new Editors of the newsletter, but we want to remind you that this is your newsletter and we seek your contributions for articles and pictures of interest to our WWME family. We would also welcome any good dialogues or trialogues that you have experienced lately and that you would want to share. Please send contributions to the Editors at eMatrimonyed@gmail.com.

Another of our WWME responsibilities is the Calendar. Recently we asked for pictures for the 2009 calendar, and you responded! We received about 450 pictures - thank you! The new calendar committee is planning a very creative calendar for this coming year, and they have plans to use the majority of the pictures submitted. The plan is to have the calendar available for sale at the 40th Anniversary International Convention in Ontario, California, from June 27-29, with shipments to the local areas beginning shortly thereafter. And while we are on the subject of the convention, we hope you and your families are making plans to be there. It is sure to be a wonderful experience for all.

And please do not forget to nominate Stellar Communities from your local area. Two are being recognized in this issue of eMatrimony, and more are on the way. All of the communities recognized as Stellar will also receive special recognition at the Convention, so we hope all of these communities will have representatives there.

As we started this note, we are happy to be here to help you and your communities in any way that we can. We can be reached at jegarcia@austin.rr.com. And we are looking forward to receiving good news from your communities that can be shared through our eMatrimony newsletter. We are a global WWME family, and families like to stay in touch. Happy dialoguing!

With our love,

Jose & Marilyn Garcia and Fr. Mark Willenbring
Community Pillar Coordinators

An Endorsement from Pope Benedict XVI

Speaking with WWME World Council Leadership couple David & Bronny Lea in January 2008 (see picture below), Pope Benedict XVI had this to say: "Marriage Encounter, yes! You are doing such important work in our church, especially in this world we live in. I will pray for you and your movement."

Pope with WWME World Council Leaders

To read a Valentine's loveletter from our US Secretariat team, including pictures from their trip to Italy for the World Council,
(in English) -- (en Español).

Stellar WWME Communities

Texoma Lover's Circle - A Stellar WWME Community



Tucked in a rural area near the Texas/Oklahoma border, you will find the Texoma Lovers Circle (TLC), better known as "those wild and crazy lovers up north"! THEY call themselves "supreme dreamers", and are made up of couples from Muenster to Bonham, Texas. The TLC circle began only 5 years ago, but has grown to 40 couples! The circle leaders are Sam & Nancy Finnell of Denison, Texas.

This circle lives the WWME mission and exhibits the spirit of the FAMIS philosophy (Fun, Accountability, Mission, Intimacy, Spirituality). TLC's monthly meeting includes prayer, a short business meeting, a presentation, 10/10 and lots of great food. Each month couples take turns presenting, giving a fresh view of marriage through their presentation and dialogue questions. Couples that are fearful of the challenge of presenting a 10/10 are given the confidence to present by loving encouragement and support of other circle members. They have also had several "dialogue challenges" with free dinners to the winners. Each meeting has a host and co-host, and one of the co-host's duties is to call each circle couple to remind them of the upcoming meeting. The circle even has their own newsletter and website (www.wwme-texomalovers.org). When inviting couples to a Weekend, they hand out business cards printed with their circle info and web address. Read more...

Lakeshore Love Circle - A Stellar WWME Community



The Lakeshore Love Circle in the Grand Rapids, MI area is located in a rural area in Michigan and works unceasingly at inviting couples to experience the gift of WWME. Lenny & Nancy Buchanan are a very spiritual couple, who never lose sight of whose Weekend it is, and although they struggle to get enough couples on their Weekends, they never lose sight of why they are doing what they do. We are certain that part of the reason their Love Circle is so strong, is because Lenny & Nancy are a strong example of what this movement is all about. Members of the group are team, reservation couple, newsletter couple, and they hold the world marriage day dance for Grand Rapids. Congratulations to Lakeshore Love Circle, a shining example of marriage encounter!

Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage

Tale of Two Brains

Marriage expert Mark Gungor explores the differences between men and women, and in turn gives tips on how to improve your relationship while laughing together about the human condition.

Convention, Convention, Convention!!!

The Worldwide Marriage Encounter 2008 International Convention isn't far away - June 27-29. Come to Ontario, California, and join couples from around the world to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the movement!

For this month's newsletter, we would like to share some brief quotes from couples who have found past convention experiences moving and life-giving. Go to the convention web site to read more.

"The highlight of the convention for us was the run for vocations through the streets of Los Angeles culminating with thousands of teens running into the Coliseum carrying crucifixes."
-John & Barbara Bertrand, California

"Life changing, life giving, life fulfilling. That's what Worldwide Marriage Encounter has meant to us."
-Dick & Diane Baumbach, Central Florida

"It is kind of like stepping off of this planet into another universe where love is the only language spoken."
-Lee & Jan Kremer, Illinois

"These conventions are uplifting and challenge us to keep our relationship # 1."
-Ron & Patti Marcoux, California

To register for this year's convention please go to:

http://convention.wwme.org/register.html

Ten Easy Steps to a Healthy Marriage
contributed by Caroline Schermerhorn, WWME, Columbus, OH

Here are ten easy steps you can take to keep your relationship with your spouse on a healthy track.

1. Make a weekly date night. Lives of lovers in the 21st century are more than just full. From day to day, we are bombarded with one thing after another that screams "Prioritize me!!!" Push back, for the sake of your relationship. Make a commitment to put each other first, once a week. Have breakfast at a coffee shop, do to dinner and a movie, or just go for a long, easy walk - but make it happen.

2. Touch each other. A touch can say it all. Whether it's holding hands while walking, putting a hand in each other's lap while watching TV, or brushing against one another in the kitchen - touch is another way of reminding each other "I love you, and I love to be near you."

3. Celebrate the intimacy of marriage. A married couple's sexuality is an important part of their life together. Stress, long hours, or the demands of family life may often lull you into thinking you haven't time, energy, or desire for physical intimacy any more. Don't fall for it! Woo one another into sharing this gift of marriage. Don't depend on spontaneity - put it on the calendar if you have to!

4. Write love notes to each other. Whether it's texting, email, or a good old-fashioned note taped on the windshield, commit your love for each other in writing. It's a gift worth giving.

5. Be polite. After putting on our best face for the ones we work with, it's tempting to think of home as a place to "let my hair down". So let it down. Throw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, put your feet on the sofa - but remember that it's the little things that make life pleasant. Getting up for a mid-game beer? Offer something to your spouse. Had a sweaty day in the yard? Wash up so you're pleasant for others to be around. This may seem elementary, but too often we think it's okay to drop the niceties around those who love us most. Miss Manners would be the first to say, "It isn't."

6. Celebrate special days. Anniversaries, birthdays, and Valentine's Day's aren't just about Hallmark - they are special days to be reminded of how much we are loved. Make the most of them while you can.

7. Allow each other personal expression. Being a couple isn't about liking and disliking the very same things. More often it's about loving each other despite your differences - and learning more about yourself along the way. Rather than pressing your spouse to adapt your likes and dislikes, work a little harder to understand theirs. Allow one another the luxury of being able to say, "I feel depressed", or "I feel sad" without having to make excuses for their emotions. This is the key to deeper intimacy - true, deep, acceptance.

8. Trust your spouse. You can't do it all. You need each other. You are a team. Trust each other to fulfill their part. Trust your spouse to say the right thing, to follow up on what they said they would do - to take out the trash before 9. Learn the difference between nagging and sharing the load.

9. Pray for one another. Whether you pray together before work, as a family, or if you are just making passing comments to God as you drive past the church each day - find ways to make God a part of your daily relationship. Prayer is the key to all those things you don't know about each other - because He does. Prayer is one way of truly giving your spouse pure, unconditional love.

10. Make a Marriage Encounter Weekend. Millions of couples the world over have rediscovered and grown in their deep affection for each other through a Marriage Encounter weekend. Your relationship deserves this! If you have gone before, maybe it is time to go again. Or find a marriage enrichment event to attend.

Mission Statement
As an online publication of Worldwide Marriage Encounter, eMatrimony serves as a resource to support, encourage and challenge couples, priests and religious to live the values of the WWME experience and grow stronger in their efforts to renew the church and change the world.