Stages of Marriage
Marriage is a contract. It is a pact in which a man and a woman mutually agree to grant to each other and to accept from each other perpetual and exclusive right to actions that are fitted for the generation of children. This mutual agreement is expressed by external signs, normally by words.
Most contacts are of purely human origin. In a business contract, for example, the negotiators themselves decide the terms: how long the contract will endure, when it will expire, how many and who will be involved in it, what its conditions are, and so on. Such contracts, since they are instituted by men, can be dissolved by men: either by the contracting parties themselves or by the state, should the common good demand it. The marriage contract, however, is in a class by itself. Marriage was not instituted by men, or by the state, but God. Nor did men determine the conditions of this unique agreement. It was God alone who, at the beginning of human history, settled forever how the contract should be negotiated, who should be involved in it, what its purposes are, when it terminates. The state had no share in the arrangement; in fact the state was not even in existence when it was arranged. The state did not make marriage- quite the reverse: marriage makes the state, for it is union of families which constitutes a civic society. Not having made marriage, therefore, the state cannot break it. The wedding contract belongs to God; He initiated it; He owns it. It is superior to the state, it is more sacred than the state, it lies beyond the reach of the state. No matter what measures a civil government may adopt, it can never succeed in severing the marriage bond in the all-truthful gaze of God the couple still remain linked as man and wife
From John
Walsh S.J. © 1959 "This is Catholicism"
A Comprehensive and Lucid Explanation of the Catholic Faith In
Question and Answer Form. Page 273 and274
Catholics receive "Holy Communion" when wedding and they are joined with God. Not all Christian groups do this.
Contents
Stage 1: Honeymoon Heaven
Stage 2: Settling In, Settling Down
11 ways to tell if he is a husband material
Michele Weiner Davis, author of
numerous books including
The
Divorce Remedy,
recently celebrated her 30th wedding anniversary with her husband, Jim. They
dated for four years before they were married, which means they have been
together a very long time.
Some might assume that since Ms. Weiner Davis is an expert in the field of
marriage that it has been easy to be married to the same guy for 30 years.
“The truth is, marriage is hard work,” said Ms. Weiner Davis. “Long-term
marriage isn't for sissies. There are times you think about giving up rather
than giving in. Not all arguments have happy endings.
Marriage experts may have an advantage because of their knowledge, but emotions
often make knowledge irrelevant. Creating a lasting marriage is a humbling
experience. It is part skill, part luck, elbow grease and blind determination.
It isn't always pretty.”
As a long-time observer of relationships, Ms. Weiner Davis can tell you that
marriages go through developmental stages and predictable crises. But because
people are unfamiliar with the normal hills and valleys of marriage, these
predictable transitional periods are often misunderstood, causing
over-reactions. Those who manage to weather these universal stormy periods
usually come out the other side with greater love and commitment to their
spouses.
There are five predictable stages that most marriages experience. During the
first stage, passion prevails. You are head over heals in love with your mate.
This is when you finish each other’s sentences and when annoying things pop-up,
they are usually overlooked. At no other time in your relationship is your
feeling of well-being and physical desire for each other as intense as during
this period. The newness and excitement of the relationship stimulates the
production of chemicals in your bodies that increase energy, positive attitudes
and heighten sexuality and sensuality. While in this state of euphoria, you
decide to commit to spending the rest of your lives together.
At some point your joy gives way to an earth-shattering awakening; marriage
isn't at all what you expected it to be hence the beginning of stage two. This
stage tends to be the most difficult because this is when couples experience the
greatest fall. Reality sets in. Little things start to bother you. You realize
that your spouse has stinky breath in the morning, spends way too long on the
toilet, leaves magazines and letters strewn on the kitchen counter, forgets to
pay the bills, and the list goes on. You're confused. You argue about
everything. When you remind yourself you made a life-long commitment, you start
to understand the real meaning of eternity.
“Ironically, it is in the midst of feeling at odds with your once kindred spirit
that you are faced with making all sorts of life-altering decisions,” said Ms.
Weiner Davis. “Whether and when to have children, where to live, who will
support the family, who will handle the bills, how your free time will be spent,
dealing with in-laws, and who will do the cooking. Just at the time when a team
spirit would come in handy, spouses often start to feel like opponents. So they
spend the next decade or so trying to get their partners to change.”
In the third stage of marriage, most people believe there are two ways of
looking at things, your spouse's way and your way, also known as the Right Way.
Couples often battle tenaciously to get their partners to admit they are wrong.
Every point of disagreement is an opportunity to define the marriage. Over time,
both partners dig in their heels deeper and deeper.
“This is the stage where you couples are convinced they've tried everything and
where some even give up,” said Ms. Weiner Davis. “They tell themselves they've
fallen out of love or married the wrong person and they divorce. Other people
resign themselves to the status quo and decide to lead separate lives. But there
are still others who decide that it's time to begin to investigate healthier and
more satisfying ways of interacting. The latter option requires a major leap of
faith. Those who take it are the fortunate ones because the best of marriage is
yet to come.”
In stage four, couples come to terms with the fact that they are never going to
see eye-to-eye about everything and they have to figure out how to live more
peaceably. They look to others for suggestions; religious counsel, close friends
and family, marriage seminars, self-help books, or marital therapy. Couples more
readily forgive hardheadedness, and recognize that neither party is exactly easy
to live with. When disagreements occur, they make more of an effort to put
themselves in each other’s shoes. They recognize they have to accept the good
with the bad. Fights happen less frequently and when they occur, they're not as
intense or as emotional as in the earlier years of marriage.
Finally, you reach the fifth stage.
“Tragically, half of all couples who wed never get to this stage,” said Ms.
Weiner Davis. “Since you are no longer in a struggle to define who you are and
what the marriage should be, there is more peace and harmony. You start "liking"
your spouse again. You have a shared history. While you'd both agree that
marriage hasn't been easy, you feel proud that you've weathered the storms. You
appreciate your partner's sense of commitment to making your marriage last. You
feel more secure about yourself as a person and you begin to appreciate the
differences between you and your spouse. And what you don't appreciate, you find
greater acceptance for. If you have children, they're older and more
independent, allowing you to focus on your marriage again, like in the old days.
You realize you have come full circle.”
For more information, please contact
us.
Copyright ©2010 First Things First
|
President & CEO As a Certified Family Life Educator Julie writes and speaks on issues related to strengthening marriages and families. |
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4 Stages of Marriage
There are 4 Stages of Marriage: (1) Romance, (2) Disillusionment, (3) Misery, and (4) Awakening. Due to the high divorce rate many couples never make it to the 4th Stage of Awakening.
Most are familiar with the 1st Stage of Romance. Life was so wonderful we couldn't stand to live without the other. Our thoughts often turned to the other when we were not with them. We had fallen in love and knew that this was the person we wanted to spend the rest of our life with. Little differences between us were cute and endearing.
At some point those little differences started to annoy us. We felt bothered by some of those same things that may have been cute a short time earlier. The self-talk in the back of our mind started wondering why our spouse couldn't be more like us. We had entered into the 2nd Stage of Marriage, the Disillusionment Stage. During the Disillusionment Stage we start to realize that our spouse is not the perfect person that we had envisioned him or her to be. Sometimes, especially if our Romance Stage had been particularly intense, we are hurt deeply by this Disillusionment. We realize that the expectations we had of the perfect marriage were not going to happen. For some this realization is too heart wrenching and they give up on the marriage and divorce during this 2nd Stage of Disillusionment.
Many people stick with and try to work through their problems during Disillusionment. They seek the counsel of family, friends, clergy and marriage family counselors. Some of these people find the key they are looking for from these resources. Many others continue to struggle and their troubles worsen. Often the marriage deteriorates more deeply due to drug, alcohol or other addictions. Sometimes a third party relationship in the form of extramarital affairs result. As the couple finds themselves in this 3rd Stage of Marriage they know they have entered the Misery Stage.
The Misery Stage is where many couples find themselves considering a marriage separation or divorce. When children are involved this 3rd Stage of Misery is particularly difficult on them. Regardless of whether the couple stays together in misery or divorce the children often believe it is their fault regardless of assurances to the contrary. The effects of divorce on a child cannot be over emphasized. The pain is so intense during the Misery Stage that it is common to only want it to STOP. Much like the pain of a toothache that consumes your whole being you cannot seem to think of anything else besides stopping the pain. One spouse may be pushing hard for the divorce while the other wants to stop divorce.
If the couple ends the marriage at this point and remarry other partners they are more likely to experience the effects of divorce with their second or third spouse.
Most people whose marriages end in divorce are not bad people. Rather, they are often people who never learned the proper tools for a happy marriage. This is where Retrouvaille (pronounced re-tro-vi with a long i.) can help. Teams of couples who have experienced all 4 Stages of Marriage present the Retrouvaille program. Instead of giving up they found solutions. In Retrouvaille they learned the tools they needed to live a happy marriage. They learned that marriage does not follow the Romance and Happily Ever After formula portrayed in literature and media. Rather, they learn that there are certain learnable skills, attitudes and tools that they can use to deal with the inevitable problems of the real world.
These skills, attitudes and tools give them what they need to move from the 3rd Stage of Misery into the 4th Stage of Awakening.
Whether you are in the Disillusionment Stage grieving the loss of that magical Romance or if you have moved firmly into the Misery Stage Retrouvaille can give you the marriage help you need to rebuild your marriage. Many tens of thousands of couples have turned their marriages around by giving this program a chance.
Can you save your marriage by attending and working the Retrouvaille program? You will never know until you try. Call the phone number or send an email to the caring Retrouvaille volunteers in your area. Ask them those tough questions that keep nagging at you in the back of your mind. The people answering the phone or responding to your email are people just like you who have been there and pushed through to the 4th Stage of Awakening. They will be able to relate to your feelings of hopelessness and loss. They will do their best to give you the answers you need about this program.
Be assured that all contacts are held in the strictest confidence.
The 5 Stages of a Marriage
Learn the phases every relationship takes—and how to get through them
By Denise Schipani
Stage 2: Settling In, Settling Down
Stage 1: Honeymoon Heaven
Usually the first year or two (or three, depending on the arrival of children as
well as whether you lived together beforehand) is a passion-fueled period that’s
all about the two of you and your intense focus on the attraction that made you
want to walk down the aisle to begin with.
Your Challenge: As much as this stage is full of lovely things like lust,
affection and late-night romps, you’d be wise to also use this time to cement
your sense of coupledom outside the bedroom. Who are you, as a couple? For
example, do you want to focus on your careers exclusively for a few years, or
would you prefer to spend time traveling or taking classes? Will one or both of
you want to get an advanced degree? Also spend time figuring out how you
envision the rest of your marriage—such as whether and when to have children, or
whether you see yourselves living in a city or the suburbs.
Stage 2: Settling In, Settling Down
This encompasses what Dr. DeMaria calls the realization stage, during which you
learn things you might not have known (or happily ignored) about your spouse’s
strengths, weaknesses and personal habits. Also in this post-honeymoon,
pre-children stage, power struggles can arise as the two of you work toward both
separate and shared goals. “This is the time to learn teamwork,” says Dr.
DeMaria.
Your Challenge: As the shine fades a bit and reality sets in, you need to
safely navigate what can be the first divorce danger zone of a young marriage,
says
Beverly Hyman,
PhD, coauthor of How to Know If It’s Time to Go: A 10-Step Reality Test for
Your Marriage. “After a couple of years, too many couples find that their
values and goals aren’t always on the same page.” For example, if one of you
wants children, or expects to spend every Sunday with his or her parents, and
the other disagrees, you need to reach a compromise. Though you should have done
this before you wed, if you haven’t, it’s not too late to discuss hot-button
subjects like children, money, how often you’ll see your families, religion,
etc. If you find you can’t see eye-to-eye, it may be time to seek counseling,
says Dr. Hyman.
Stage 3: Family Central
Welcome to the “meat” of marriage—the years most couples spend raising their
families, buying a home, building and/or changing careers and all-around trying
to hold a busy, crazy modern life together. “This can be another danger time,”
says Dr. Hyman. “You may have a couple of kids, a mortgage to pay, possibly two
demanding jobs—this puts enormous strain on the resources of a marriage.” Too
many couples start to wonder: Is this all there is to life? And some of them
answer that question by starting an affair or asking for a divorce.
Your Challenge: Not losing sight of your couple-ness in the swirl of all
the other demands on your time and energy. “Pay close attention to your
marriage,” advises Dr. Hyman. Don’t assume your relationship will be OK if one
or both of you is on autopilot. “One thing that’s essential to building an
enduring marriage is open, honest and tender communication,” she adds.
Give yourselves a chance to communicate by—if you have to—scheduling together
time, planning a regular date night or agreeing to turn off the TV after the
kids go to bed so you can discuss important issues (or have sex!).
Stage 4: Back to the Two of You
Some call this stage the “empty nest,” but that implies that your home is devoid
of love (i.e. empty) after your children grow up and leave. Hopefully, it’s not
that way (though it can be). In the best scenario, this stage is about reunion,
says Dr. DeMaria. “You are getting to know each other all over again, unpacking
old baggage and having fun.”
Your Challenge: Assuming you’ve weathered the earlier storms of marriage,
this time can be exhilarating. “You have the luxury of time,” says Dr. Hyman,
“so you can have new adventures, learn things together and take pride in your
accomplishments, such as your history together and your children’s successes.”
But many couples find it a struggle to be together again with nothing else to
concentrate on. Spend some time figuring out things you can do together (such as
a vacation or new activity, like tennis or a couples’ book club) and apart (such
as a sport or an adult-education class). If the issue is that you’ve ignored
resentments toward your partner while you were busy with work and kids, you’ll
need to be honest about these thorny problems, says Dr. Hyman. “You can rescue a
marriage that’s been ignored for a long time, but it will take work,” so seek
couples’ therapy.
Stage 5: You Did It!
You’ve enjoyed the lust, lived the love and come through the chaos of family
life—without splitting up in the face of troubles. You’ve reached what Dr.
DeMaria calls “completion,” a stage that retired, empty-nest couples who still
enjoy being together can bask in for the rest of their lives.
Your Challenge: Continue to show each other affection and attention.
Remember, says Dr. Hyman, if you’ve remained a loving, harmonious couple, you
won’t have an empty nest for long. Children and grandchildren gravitate back to
the happy home they remember.
At
Any Time: Explosion
This is less of a discrete stage than the others, says Dr. DeMaria, because it
can happen at any time in a marriage. It’s when major life stressors interrupt
the forward motion of your life together—such as fertility issues, a death in
the family, a major illness or the loss of a job that leads to serious economic
upheaval.
Your Challenge: Seek support, both separately and together, depending on
the situation. Never feel you have to power through problems on your own, or
your marriage may suffer. Seek advice and guidance from friends, family members,
religious counselors or professional therapists. “Pay attention to your own
physical and emotional health and well-being,” says Dr. DeMaria. Knowing when
it’s time to divorce can be tricky, especially if you feel that the two of you
have come to an impasse in terms of what you want from the marriage. Dr. Hyman
suggests that you take great care, asking yourselves serious questions, such as:
Have you been more unhappy than happy in your marriage? Is that unhappiness
affecting your physical and mental health? What are your fears about possibly
separating? Have you exhausted every remedy to save your marriage? Only you two
can answer these hard questions.
For Every Marriage
3 Stages of Marriage
All healthy marriages experience change and transition. That’s what keeps them alive and growing.
The psychologist Paul Tournier said, “I’ve been married six times – all to the same woman.” Tournier explained that he never got divorced, but rather his marriage transitioned from one stage to another.
All healthy marriages experience change and transition. That’s what keeps them alive and growing. Some of the stages of growth are predictable, others are not.
We provide an Overview of the Stages of Marriage. Then, for simplicity, we’ve divided marriage into the chronological time frames of:
- Newly Married (0 – 5 years)
- Middle Years (6 – 25 years), which usually coincides with the active parenting stage
- Later Years (26+ years), also known as the “empty nest” years
Not all marriages fit neatly into these categories. Those in second marriages may find times shortened; however, certain developmental tasks generally take place during each stage.
Another way of looking at transitions in marriage is through cycles of growth. Most relationships move through cycles that include:
- Romance
- Disillusionment
- Mature Love
In this framework, the stages emerge more quickly, with disillusionment often coming soon after the honeymoon. Mature love evolves-hopefully-after several years of marriage.
In The 7 Stages of Marriage (2007), Harrar and DeMaria identify the stages as:
- Passion
- Realization
- Rebellion
- Cooperation
- Reunion
- Explosion
- Completion
However you describe it, the essential point is that a marriage is a process. It evolves. It helps to know what to expect at the various stages. Otherwise, normal transitions may be misinterpreted as loss of love or reasons to divorce.
Building a successful marriage is a lifelong challenge. Understanding the
different phases a marriage goes through may help you build a stronger and
better relationship. Read on to learn more about the seven stages of marriage.
From: The 7 Stages of Marriage
1 of 8
Stage One: Passion
This is the honeymoon stage, when romance and intense attraction bond a couple
together and lead to commitment. In retrospect, it often seems as short-lived as
springtime – by two years, most couples have usually lost that initial magic,
though this can vary by couple. But when it is happening, the passion stage is
very strong and significant. It is a wave of feel-good brain chemicals
orchestrated by Mother Nature to make the two of you forsake all others and take
action to ensure the survival of the species.
Even if you’re marrying later in life, or for the second time, nature supplies
these delicious bursts of neurotransmitters to make you bond. Couples not only
frolic and fall madly in love in the passion stage – they begin to establish the
trust, respect and emotional intimacy that will support their relationship
forever.
11 ways to tell if he is a husband material
-Adapted from allwomenstalk.com
Whether you believe in love at first site or a long-term relationship before marriage, the big question is how to tell if he’s husband material. Some say that when you know, you know, some say he needs to be able to support you, and others say happiness is key. In reality, I say all of the above. You need man that is willing to go to the moon and back, laugh with you, cry with you, support you, and love you. This is how to tell if he’s husband material.
1. Always Remembers to Incorporate Your Favorite Things in Bed
He wants you to have fun. He wants you to know that he knows what pushes you over the edge. He wants to make those toes curl under the sheets. He doesn’t need a reminder; he just knows that right thing to do. He wants the experience to be as much as it is for him as it is for you. Believe me, if he’s in bed with you, he’s having fun. If he always remembers to do that one thing, that’s just one way to tell if he’s husband material.
2. He’s a Fair Fighter
A man who is husband material will immediately take a step back during your most intense fights and will become the voice of reason. He may even make suggestions to help subside the issue. You could be pleasantly surprised by his suggestions. Some of his suggestions may include some sort of listening exercise or even a couples therapy session. Even though most men don’t really prefer to get involved in seeing a shrink or going for therapy, he’s going for you… He’s totally marriage material.
3. That Feeling That You Just Know
You have that knot in your stomach; you always have butterflies when you’re with him, you just know! It may be that he’s willing to try anything for you or that he wrote you a song, but whatever it may be, you know. You know he’s the one when nothing he does bothers you and everything he does sweeps you off of your feet or makes your heart skip a beat. No matter what it may be, if you have these indescribable feelings, he’s marriage material.
4. Not Jealous
You may be in a relationship, but your hot looks don’t go away. If your man
can accept that and understands that you are committed to the relationship, he’s
husband material. He trusts you, you trust him. There has to be a mutual trust.
Now that is a concept that is essential! Moving past the jealousy, your man
should be reasonably easygoing and calm you down when you work yourself up. This
type of attitude will bring positivity and keep the positive energy going in
your relationship.
5. Willing to Take Risks
The risk could be taking a hot yoga class that you love or lose the bachelor life, no matter what, it could be the largest or smallest thing but it’s a risk. Marriage is all about taking risks for each other and making sacrifices for each other. A great sign that your man is marriage material is that he has chosen you over something else that matters to him. By taking a risk, he’s willing to compromise and give of himself in your relationship and marriage.
6. Financially Responsible
Whether it is the stress of the wedding, or a shared apartment, or future expenses, starting a life together takes money. Any man that you consider to be marriage material should have savings. He should have a plan for paying the bills. He should avoid debt and ridiculous spending. On the other hand, he should have a solid idea of his financials and where his money is going.
7. He’ll Do What He Says He Will
You should not have to keep reminding your future hubby to do the things that have been repeatedly been said. You have to be able to count on your man especially when it comes to the bills and throwing kids into the mix. He might not be so into you if he keeps "forgetting" to do the things you have asked. If he gets what you ask done and in a timely matter, then he’s serious. He has no time for fooling around and as serious as he is about you, he is about the relationship between the two of you.
8. Stable
If you and your boyfriend have been one of those on again, off again couples than he's not husband material. You should be ready to spend your life with someone that is there for you, someone that is stable, and someone you never have to question. You know that he'll always be there for you and you've never doubted that you can depend on him.
9. He Accepts You
The best thing in a life partner is that he's accepting of everything about you. If someone tries to change you or picks on you for parts of your personality, then you shouldn't be together let alone married! If you're going to spend your life with someone, you need to know that you can always be accepted for who you are and you never have to worry about it.
10. You Can Be Silly Together
If you're going to be with someone, you should be able to have fun and be
silly with them. Life is too short to be serious all the time! Being with
someone everyday runs the risk of getting boring and monotonous so make sure
that you keep if fun. Who wants to be bored for the rest of their life? Nobody!
11. He's Loyal
If you have ever questioned your boyfriends loyalty, then you should not marry him. Just as you want him to trust you and never question that you would be disloyal, you should trust him too. Your future husband should always be loyal to you and so if there's ever a time where he wasn't loyal to you whether he's cheating, lying, or choosing others over you - he's not husband material
Men tend to talk out of both ends, will confuse you, and will make you crazy,
while all men hold these traits, only one man will fit your needs to make him
marriage material. Whether it be his support, his mindful gifts, or his
security, you’ll be able to know and tell what is right for you. Don’t doubt
yourself, find comfort and confidence in your feelings. You will find that man
that fulfills your criteria of marriage material. How are you able to tell if
he’s marriage material?
In marriage two become one
KJV Hebrews 13: 4 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
KJV Colossians 3:19-21
19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against
them.
20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the
Lord.
21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
KJV Ephesians 5:22-26
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as
unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the
church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their
own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave
himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
KJV Romans 13: 8-10
8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he
that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not
steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be
any other
commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the
law.
KJV 1 Corinthians 7:12-17
12 But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother
hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him
not put her away.
13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased
to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving
wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are
they holy.
15 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not
under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.
16 For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how
knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?
17 But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one,
so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.
KJV 1 Corinthians 13:
1 Though I speak with the tongues
of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a
tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all
knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and
have
not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body
to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not
itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all
things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail;
whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall
vanish
away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be
done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as
a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in
part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these
is charity.
The kindergarten class had a homework assignment to find out
about something exciting and relate it to the class the next day. When the
time came for the little kids to give their reports, the teacher was calling
on them one at a time. She was reluctant to call upon little Johnnie, knowing
that he sometimes could be a bit crude. But eventually his turn came. Little
Johnnie walked up to the front of the class, and with a piece of chalk, made a
small white dot on the blackboard, then sat back down. Well the teacher
couldn't figure out what Johnnie had in mind for his report, so she asked him
just what that was. "It's a period," reported Johnnie. "Well I can see that,"
she said, "But what is so exciting about a period." "Damned if I know," said
Johnnie, "But this morning my sister said she missed one. Then Daddy had a
heart attack, Mommy fainted and the man next door shot himself."
(People should move out and marry before pregnancy therefore the wise decide
no intercourse outside marriage)
Love, lust, and marriage
Posted: 19 Jun 2013 05:22 AM PDT
Love: When you take a bubble bath together
Lust: When you take a bath in Jell-O together
Marriage: When you give the kids a bath
Love: A romantic candlelight dinner for two
Lust: “Do I have to buy you dinner first?”
Marriage: 4 Happy Meals . . . to go
Love: Giving your love some candy
Lust: Thinking you are the candy
Marriage: Scraping candy off of the carpet
Love: A night out at the Symphony
Lust: A night out at the Holiday Inn
Marriage: A night out at Sesame Street On Ice
Love: Aroma — French perfume
Lust: Aroma — Brut aftershave
Marriage: Aroma — “The baby needs changing. . .”
Love: Lending your jacket to your love when he/she is cold
Lust: “I can think of a way to stay warm . . .”
Marriage: Your teenager just took your jacket
Love: Talking and cuddling
Lust: Rolling over and falling asleep
Marriage: Getting up to wash your hands . . .
Love: Finding the “Fell in Love on AOL” chat-room
Lust: Finding the “Blonde Dominatrix” chat-room
Marriage: Finding the “Married and Looking” chat-room
Love: Long drives through the countryside
Lust: Long parking sessions at Lover’s Lookout
Marriage: Long drives with the kids screaming in the back-seat
Love: Sex every night
Lust: Sex 5 times a night
Marriage: Sex?
Before and After
Posted: 29 Jul 2013 01:18 PM PDT
When you are dating….. Farting is never an issue
When you are married ….You make sure there’s nothing flammable near your
husband…… at all times
When you are dating….. He takes you out to have a good time
When you are married ….He brings home a 6 pack, and says “What are you
going to drink?
When you are dating….. He holds your hand in public
When you are married ….He flicks your ear in public
When you are dating….. A Single bed for 2 isn’t THAT bad
When you are married ….A King size bed feels like an army cot
When you are dating….. You are turned on at the sight of him naked
When you are married ….You think to yourself….”Was he ALWAYS this
hairy????”
When you are dating…. You enjoyed foreplay
When you are married ….You tell him “If we have sex, will you leave me
alone???”
When you are dating….. He hugs you, when he walks by you …for no reason
When you are married ….He grabs your boob any chance he gets
When you are dating….. You picture the two of you together, growing old
together
When you are married ….You wonder who will die first
When you are dating….. Just looking at him makes you feel all “mushy”
When you are married ….When you look at him, you want to claw his eyes out.
When you are dating….. He knows what the “hamper” is
When you are married ….The floor will suffice as a dirty clothes storage
area
When you are dating….. He understands if you “aren’t in the mood”
When you are married ….He says “It’s your job.”
When you are dating….. He understands that you have “male” friends
When you are married ….He thinks they are all out to steal you away
When you are dating….. He likes to “discuss” things
When you are married ….He develops a “blank” stare
When you are dating….. He calls you by name
When you are married….He calls you “Hey” and refers to you when speaking to
others as “She.”
.