DO Sweat the Small Stuff!

This article came across our desk...It's a GREAT reminder to SWEAT the small things in your marriage!

Elizabeth Bernstein
Wall St Journal
April 20, 2010

When Jim Caudill's first wife sat him down and explained that she wanted a divorce, she had a long list of complaints: He didn't help enough with the kids. He didn't do his share of the housework. They were more devoted to work than to each other.

Then she brought up the English muffins. "She said, 'You never butter them to the edges, you just pat it in the middle,'" says Mr. Caudill, a 59-year-old winery marketing representative in Santa Rosa, Calif.

Mr. Caudill was stunned. But gradually, the message sunk in. "The weight of a small thing can be onerous," he says. "It's a symptom of a larger need."

Don't sweat the small stuff? Don't kid yourself.

Just as we often fall in love with the little traits or quirks of our partner‹a crooked smile, a goofy laugh or the way he or she fawns over a pet‹we can fall out of love over seemingly small things. Aggravation over the little characteristics we would like to change about our mate can build up over time and become much more than the sum of their parts. As any divorce attorney can tell you, a dirty sock left on the floor has a way of turning into: "You do not listen to me, you do not respect me, you do not care about me." . . .

(And, the classic paragraph)

. . . . Ms. Barrie, who has since divorced and remarried, was dismayed to find that her second husband also leaves his dirty dishes in the sink. But she says she has finally learned to take it in stride. "By the time you marry a second time, you grow up," she says. "I realized how important it was to have a partner for the big life stuff and that the little life stuff ruins the present moment."

So how do you cope when your partner's habits start to push you over the edge? . . . .

Full article: here

Blessings~
J & L

Be Grateful!

From our friend Mike Atkinson at Mikey's Funnies

Within a year, our Young Couples Department at church had grown from one class of eight active couples to four classes with 56 active couples!

On Baby Dedication Sunday that year, we had 19 babies! Our Pastor was so excited. He stood in the pulpit that Sunday with 19 babies and their parents facing him. He wanted to brag on these couples and the great job that they had done growing this Young Couples Department. However, here's what he actually said: "Just look at ALL these babies! Folks, this just goes to show what our young couples have been doing!!!"

The laughter started and continued for several minutes. Every time the pastor tried to say something, the laughter would begin again. Finally, the red-faced pastor added, "For which we are grateful."

This "funny" reminded us of ALL for which we Laffoon's are truly grateful.

Take a moment, hug your kids, call your folks, make love to your spouse, do something that lets someone in your life know your are GRATEFUL for them!