Regaining Intimacy

Intimacy is so much more than physical touch. This new era in my life has me thinking about communication. Learning to communicate in such a way that both parties hear what is being said is just not that easy. People go into conversations with preconceived notions and have opinions of their own so in reality-very little listening is going on.

I find that to be true in many of my relationships, on my end, and on the other party end. I have something I want to say so I am trying to get it out, and the other person is doing the same thing. We aren't really communicating-we are listening to our own ideas.

My husband and I are learning to rethink the way we live. We are changing the way we interact. This is a time for that kind of reflection. Where have we been? Who are we? What do we want to be as individuals and for each other? I ask these questions of myself because I know that so much of our life has been focused on other people, not on each other. We have continually struggled to make our personal relationship a priority when the demands of life pull us in so many other directions.

This empty nest....that is what it is about...Him and I. Us. Not what others want or need from us or for us, but what we want and need from each other. Marriage is an honorable estate, second only to our relationship with God. With that in mind, nothing else should take precedence. In our relationship EVERYTHING else has been important, raising our children, supporting their endeavors, financing them AND their endeavors, extended family members and their situations, serving others that God allows in our life, ministries...I could go on, but in allowing those demands to take a front row seat, we have lacked in meeting some of each other's basic needs...but we recognize that, and we are regrouping. We are turning our hearts back towards each other. The other things...they have always been there....and always will....they can wait.