An interesting note about the first journal I did. The round finished and my album was waiting here for me when I got back home from Columbus after Dad died. Guess what theme I chose for that journal? Words of Comfort! We started these journals 6 mos. before. Only the Lord knew I would need these Words of Comfort 6 mos. later.
Anyway, for this journal, I chose Marriage Advice. With two young adults in the house, marriage and how to chose a marriage partner are frequent topics of conversation. So...my journal asks the ladies to do a page of advice they received and then a page of advice they would give now. It's understood that any potential marriage partner should be a Christian and that you should have similar beliefs, convictions, standards, etc.
Here are my pages. I used the Foof-a-La Red, Cream & Black line for all of mine.
This is the Title page:
This is the Introduction page & the Map page. Each participant will put a brad on the map showing where they live.
These are the Getting to Know You pages. Each participant will put a small pic, their name, username, how long they've been married & their favorite Scripture verse on the back of the tag that has their intial on it.
This is my LO of advice Dad & Mom gave me and then what advice I would give. I used a sketch from Triple the Sketch for this layout.
Journaling for the left page: My parents were perpetual sweethearts. Watching their marriage and how they treated each other was a constant example of what a godly marriage should look like. Dad always said, "Make sure yo marry the right person. During the day you can keep busy but if you’re married to the wrong person the nights can be awfully long."
Mom told me, "Don’t marry someone you can live with; marry someone you don’t want to live without." There are two pieces of advice Mom gave me for after I was married that have always stood out in my mind:
1. If your husband asks you to go do something, GO! Don’t let dirty dishes or housework keep you from saying, "Yes." The dishes & housework will be there when you get back but if you repeatedly turn him down, he’ll quit asking you to go.
2. Never say anything negative in public about your husband. Mom was extremely loyal. I remember her saying, "I live with your Dad, I know he’s not perfect. But I’m sure not going to tell someone else that or listen to them talk negatively about him."
Journaling for the right page: My top advice for marriage would be:
1. Put the Lord first in your relationship. Marriage is a wonderful thing but also a hard thing. You need to have the Lord’s help for a successful marriage. Ecclesiastes 4:12 "And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken."
2. God designed you to be a help to your husband not someone who is in competition with him. Genesis 2:18 "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." Leave the competition in the sports arena and business world and kick it out of the home.
3. In the words of a wise man named Dr. Donald Worch, "If you do after you’re married what you did before you were married in order to get married, you’ll stay married." While it sounds a bit confusing, when you think about it, it makes perfect sense.
4. Be a team. Approach projects, challenges, joys, dreams, & activities together. Some things we do just for the sake of our relationship (aka Us). Sometimes "Us" goes to the scrapbook store and other times "Us" goes to Bass Pro Shops. Remember you’re both in this together and face things side-by-side – you need each other. Ecclesiastes 4:10 "For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up."
Each of the ladies will sign this page before they send it on to the next participant.
