Pick a little, Talk a little, Cheep cheep cheep, Talk a lot, Pick a little more

Being a married student is difficult. T.J. is trying to get into the BFA program in the spring and so he is working really hard everyday on his school work. I am glad he is working so hard to get the grades and build up his portfolio for the application, but we have realized that other things have to be sacrificed for that time.

But one thing that cannot be sacrificed is communication. I know I have posted about this before but I just want to stress how vital communication is for a relationship. T.J. and I don’t get to see each other very much, sometimes I just see him in the morning when I take him to work and then at night for a few minutes before we go to bed. It is so easy to just come home from school and watch TV and then go to bed. But when we do that, we barely have a conversation and a day goes by without talking very much.

Yesterday, we felt like we hadn’t had a good talk for a while so we just parked on campus, turned off the radio, and talked about how everything is going in our lives, especially our marriage. It was so good. It felt refreshing and really strengthened our relationship.

Elder Nelson said in April of 2006 concerning how to strengthen a marriage, “Communicate well with your spouse—it is also important. Good communication includes taking time to plan together. Couples need private time to observe, to talk, and really listen to each other. They need to cooperate—helping each other as equal partners. They need to nurture their spiritual as well as physical intimacy. They should strive to elevate and motivate each other. Marital unity is sustained when goals are mutually understood. Good communication is also enhanced by prayer. To pray with specific mention of a spouse’s good deed (or need) nurtures a marriage.

Anyway, I just wanted to pass that advice on. Turn off the noise and just talk. Prioritize well so you still spend time with your spouse, even if your date night is doing homework in the library. Just show them that you care and most of all, communicate.