In the beginning of the relationship between my husband and I there was an amazing sense of excitement about our future together. I got “butterflies” in my stomach when we were dating. The sexual chemistry between us was breathtaking. We both have been married previously with children from our prior marriages. We also have one child together. The largest area of contention between my husband and I has been dealing with the children from our previous marriages. We rarely kissed goodbye and hello anymore. We often avoided each other because we didn’t want to deal with a confrontation. Our physical intimacy had dwindled to rare occasions. The disagreements and arguments in our marriage at one point became so frequent and intense that we talked (actually threatened each other) with divorce. We made a decision that something had to change.

My husband and I decided to attend a couples weekend retreat for a relationship renewal. We learned a great deal at the retreat that has improved our marriage. The retreat was led by a therapist and several other couples were present. There was time for group sharing as well as individual time for couples to work on their issues. The location of the retreat was private and offered a serene environment for a relationship renewal. It was so nice to have a vacation after trudging through the emotional turmoil that my husband and I had both been experiencing.

During our relationship renewal experience we learned how to better deal with anger and conflict. We were taught more effective ways to communicate. The facilitator educated us about the differences in the way men and women differ psychologically. We also learned ways to better achieve physical intimacy at this point in our marriage. All of these tools have truly given our relationship a sense of renewal. I’m once again excited about our future together.