It’s always a good time to reflect on some important things : how we spend our time, what meaning our lives have, how we treat those close to us… especially family. Put your heart into it and show affection in small, meaningful ways. 

Focusing on romantic love, the vital core of the family, we must consider how we can protect it and make it grow, as it is something destined to improve and mature over time.

The initial “I do” of commitment creates a capacity to love more deeply. Each person gives themselves completely to the other, including their full capacity to love as a woman or as a man. That’s why  one marries to love the other, in that great shared adventure that constantly challenges each person to bring out the best in themselves. 

In this way, you create a warm and loving home, placing your loved one at the center of your heart.  And that home can only be built on the foundation of affection.

But loving isn’t easy: you have to learn to love! You have to think things through and make an effort to show it so the other person feels loved. And you have to practice every day. It’s the most important thing we have on this planet, and what will truly make us happy.

To love requires maturity, a trained will, and self-control. It means  setting aside selfishness and personal comfort to give one’s all for others. It means overlooking flaws, minor quirks, and differences in character that might have been amusing before, but which, with time, can become more bothersome.

Love is made up of feelings and emotions, yes, but above all, it’s about mutual, free, and lifelong commitment. Commitment is the essence of love.  As is accepting the other person as they are, so that they, in turn, can love.

The details and the delicate touches transform a cold house into a warm home that you always want to return to…

Therefore, it’s necessary to nurture love, always focusing on the positive, admiring the other person’s qualities, and valuing their commitment to loving. With concrete gestures that give substance and stability to love.

“Tips” for an optimistic and cheerful family

• The house is not a hotel : the person who loves you most in the world is waiting for you there.
• Other people’s tastes and hobbies are more important than your “rights” …
• Smile at him before work:  it gives him the courage to face those demanding tasks.

Live with gratitude: for life, for everything that happens, and also for any detail from others.

• Tell them you love them! And show them.  Even with the wonderful language of your body. Don’t hide behind excuses. Intimate relationships, that tender embrace, nurture love and make it grow and improve.
• Gather up good moments that build and strengthen the relationship.
• Don’t think you’re always the one who gives in. That’s not the case, and the other person might think the same. Giving in isn’t losing, it’s showing willingness, it’s teamwork. What matters is the unity of both of you.
• Talk to your loved one about your work, share what’s on your mind and in your heart, without overwhelming them.
• Learn to always apologize, to ask for forgiveness, and to forgive quickly . The one who apologizes first, even if they believe they are right, is the most generous, the one with the biggest heart. And in love, it is essential to forgive everything, whether we are asked to or not. Beware of pride: self-centeredness kills love.
• Ironies? Never!  They destroy coexistence and love.
• Don’t be grumpy, gossipy, or complain. This applies to women too… It creates a bad atmosphere, and that’s not love. If you have a complaint, if you want to correct something, calm down and tell them gently and affectionately, after pointing out something positive.
• Starting over is a daily task:  think of and do something special for the other person that day, so they feel loved. Let them know they are unique, special, irreplaceable. Take care of them, make them fall in love with you.
• Love is a fire that needs to be stoked… with small, everyday things,  and good wood in the cold winters. Think about what yours needs. Don’t let it die out with the winter chill…

It’s what unites the everyday with the essence of life as a couple: that ideal we envision and want to make real. It’s what unifies both realities and gives us the energy to keep striving.  And it’s where that “seed” of eternity we all yearn for, the one we were created for, takes root.

We have many opportunities to fall more in love with our loved one every day. Let’s go for it!