WORLDWIDE MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER

PUBLISHED INFORMATION

 

CATHOLIC DIGEST - JULY 1999

 

ALL WORK PLUS NO PLAY EQUALS AN UNHAPPY COUPLE

Dear June,

I am writing to you about a communication problem I am having with my husband of 18 years. We have two sons, 6 and 10; we are both working full time and caring for house, animals, family farm, and two rental properties. Sometimes we are so busy we don't even think of ourselves. I am finding it very difficult to talk to my husband. Most times when we have a conflict, we end up in a screaming match with insults. I find myself hurt and unable to talk to him for as many as three days. He never apologizes and never admits to being wrong. He always seems angry and not very happy with much of anything. I am afraid to suggest counseling since he will consider it a waste of money.

- Looking for Feedback

 

It appears to me that you have both taken on way too much. Do you think you are superman and superwoman? Every marriage needs to be nourished with leisure, fun, laughter, and beauty. If all you do is work, it is no wonder that your spirits are suppressed.

It may be that the Marriage Encounter Weekend could assist you in dealing with your difficult interactions and help you both to recast the ways you spend your time. My husband of 25 years and I recently made a Marriage Encounter Weekend and found it to be very helpful. Although we do not fight very much, we noticed that we were finding it difficult to talk about difficult feelings. Marriage Encounter offers a strategy for talking about difficulties that many couples have found very useful. Contact Worldwide Marriage Encounter at 1-800-795-5683 or www.wwme.org. The Marriage Encounter message is this: You don't need it, you deserve it. Marriage Encounter is recommended for good marriages that want to become better. A second possibility is the Retrouvaille Program. Retrouvaille is a French word that means "rediscover " and is pronounced "retro-vye.' For those who sense that their marriage is tearing them apart, that there is little or no meaningful communication, or if they are thinking about separation or divorce, Retrouvaille promises to offer new possibilities for listening, forgiveness, and sustained communication. Call 1-800-470-2230 or access www.retrouvaille.org.

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