We could cut it out of our schedules and feel virtuous about it. But we don't because these dates connect us. Though we live in the same house, schedules and children moving in four different directions pull us apart. Even when we're all at home, the distractions of phones, computers and children's chatter keep our conversation banal and insipid. In the process they become shared goals, endeavors and struggles.
Romance infuses our marriage with fun and spontaneity.
Barry showed up at my last birthday celebration with party horns and candles in Hostess cupcakes. It was silly and, yes, romantic. Such an ongoing romantic relationship reminds me to protect the balance of our marriage. It would be easy, for example, to concentrate so much on raising children that I neglect my husband. But nurturing my relationship as wife helps me develop into the mother God wants for our children.