Restore Your Marriage & Fall in Love Again by Krystal Kuehn Page B

together):*
     
    Today I choose to make friendship with ( spouse’s name ) a priority. Our friendship has not been given the care and attention it needs. I realize that there is more I can do to nurture it. I am willing to invest the time necessary to draw closer to _____. I want to grow together, share dreams, laugh more often and enjoy one another.
     
    I want to be the best friend I can be to _____. Best friends really like each other and enjoy being together. From this day forward, I will be devoted to building a close friendship with _____. I will value the time that we spend together. I will be a caring and true friend that is supportive and wants the best for _____. I will be devoted to keeping friendship a priority in my marriage.
     
    I will make friendship with my spouse a priority and nurture it with my time and attention.
     
     
    PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
     
    1. Define what a best friend means to you and take turns to share your descriptions and expectations.
    Complete the following sentence: To me, best friends …. (for ideas see below)*
     
    Best friends accept each other just the way they are.
    Best friends can be completely honest with each other.
    Best friends can be trusted with secrets.
    Best friends can talk about anything and not fear being judged or rejected.
    Best friends build each other up instead of tear each other down.
    Best friends want what is best for each other.
    Best friends are happy for one another’s success.
    Best friends help each other in any way they can.
    Best friends laugh and cry together.
    Best friends will tell you the truth instead of flatter you.
    Best friends forgive each other and don’t hold grudges.
    Best friends are available to listen.
    Best friends really know and understand each other.
    Best friends enjoy one another’s company.
    Best friends are supportive and stand together through good times and bad times.
    Best friends value and respect each other.
     
    2. Reflect back on the times you and your spouse enjoyed being together. Share a special memory with each other. What do you remember about that time and what made it so special?
     
    3. Make a list of three things you and your spouse can do to nurture your friendship. Share your ideas with one another and decide on at least one thing you can do together this week.
     
    Following are some suggestions:

Go for a walk in the park
    Call or text each other during lunch to check in and say hello
Plan and cook a meal together
Say “I love you” each morning and/or before bed
    Look through photo albums and share memories
    Tell each other what makes the other partner a great friend
Hold hands while you sit together watching television or shopping
    THINK ABOUT IT
     
    We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it. ~John Lennon
    Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses. ~Ann Landers
     
    If we want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out. To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it. ~Mother Teresa
     
    However rare true love may be, it is less so than true friendship. ~ Francois de La Rochefoucauld
     
    A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they’re not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they’re not so bad. ~Arnold H. Glasgow
     
    You are my best friend as well as my lover, and I do not know which side of you I enjoy the most. I treasure each side, just as I have treasured our life together. ~ Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook
     
     
     
    * Free downloadable pdfs are available for SAY IT & BELIEVE IT affirmations and Best Friends Poster. To access: click here and enter password (found in the