At my son’s preschool, the director was passing out discount codes for a nearby marriage retreat. Two and a half days of focus on our marriage with no other distractions sounded heavenly right now. We’re not struggling by any means. Quite the opposite, we’re in a good place right now. But I know trials and tribulations can pop up at any time and I want us to be prepared. We’re in year five of our still-young marriage but there is so much we can still learn about communication, faith, arguing, planning, etc.
There would be workshops on how to fight fair, how to handle our anger, how to lean toward each other during the challenging times, how to communicate. All areas where we have greatly improved since the time we said, “I do,” but again, we can both admit we have some areas of improvement, like most couples do.
I presented the idea to my husband and he was down””until he saw the price tag. It’s close to $200 for the weekend, and that doesn’t include the hotel room, meals, transportation, anything. I can admit that paying close to $500 for this weekend might be a blow to our budget, but similar to what Eric Payne was talking about last week – wouldn’t that be an investment in our marriage? $500 now is a small price to pay versus divorce lawyers later.
And then I thought to myself, “We can have our own marriage retreat. Hotel room, meals, sight-seeing – it would be epic.” Two days of just hanging together, setting our own schedule, getting a chance to explore our city and each other. It’s the stuff I dream about when I’m elbow-deep in dirty dishes, long days of working, and dealing with the kids.
So I’m torn. We have a limited budget but this does seem worthwhile. What do you think, BMWK family?
I absolutely think it is worth it but just the same the hotel get away is just as helpful. My hubby and I usually get a hotel uptown for the weekend just for the sake of it. It does wonders. We are still relatively young in our marriage too but just the time with is two is fabulous. Any investment in marriage now is well worth it and I am sure will prevent future pains.
If it is the national organization that sponsors retreats around the country (WTR) that I am thinking of, it is well worth the investment, even if it is a stretch to make it. They schedule in free-time for “date nights” and private time during the event in addition to sharing life altering information that will strengthen your marriage. My husband and I have gone 3 times in 10 years and honestly it doesn’t get old. You tend to get what you need at the time. Thanks for the reminder for me to make our reservation for this year since we have not gone in a few years.
I think that if you have the money, go for it. I wish my husband I and I could afford to go to something like that. We barely have two dimes to rub together, much less $200+ (I’m disabled and he’s working odd jobs while looking for full time work). Any event that offers stimulating information such as this AND the bonus of a retreat for the two of you is something that should be worthwhile and seriously considered.
I would spend that type of money for my marriage. I look at it as an investment in our future as a means to Fireproof our matrimony. Those type of workshops can only help, so why not?
It definitely is worth the investment. If the budget is making the retreat prohibitive, then plan your own retreat. My husband and I set rules and expectations for our retreat and made sure we each had items to discuss with each other. We found a small B&B in a location that had free events/activities to participate in once we finished a talk for the day. We only stayed for 2 days but it was very much needed. Don’t wait until things get too strained. I think it’s most successful if you are able to get away from your typical surroundings. Good luck, Tara
532579 531164You made some respectable points there. I looked on the internet for the issue and found most people will go along with with your website. 519605