Valentine’s Day 
offers a loving reminder to practice affection toward the ones we love throughout the year. Don’t let the hustle and bustle of family life be an excuse for putting your marriage on the back burner.
Affection reaffirms your love for your partner in simple, small ways and creates a soft-spoken connection. Without it, you’ll both start feeling neglected, fueling boredom and disenchantment, which weakens the foundation of a marriage. Here are a few ways to keep the heartbeat of your family healthy and happy…
Flirt! Compliments, teasing gestures, coy texts, affectionate touches and private jokes create a bond between a couple.
Appreciate each other. Empathize and show gratitude toward each other. You both do things for the family and for each other. Take time to acknowledge those things.
Laugh together. Life is serious enough. Home feels warmer with a little humor.
Pen a love letter. Leave a thoughtful note where your spouse will find it later, like in his suitcase, on his pillow or on a post-it stuck to the bathroom mirror. Speak from your heart or find a quote that you know he or she will love.
Share a hobby. Cook together, dance, watch classic movies every Saturday night, bike, play golf, travel, run…the possibilities are endless. The point is you are spending time together doing something you both enjoy.
Serenade your mate. Remember the bar scene in “Top Gun” when the guys sang “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling?” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVNWSEX-WqU So maybe you can’t sing––lord knows, I can’t! But I bet over the years, you’ve discovered a variety of tunes that you both love. Email a link to a meaningful song from YouTube to your spouse.
Date. Every month plan a night out just the two of you. Try a different romantic hot-spot or try a new activity together like dancing, hiking or exploring an area of town you’ve never visited.
What are your secrets to a happy marriage?
Want to read more about how affection is healthy for a marriage? Read my article “Marital Affection: The Foundation for a Healthy Family” in the February issue of The Health Journal.
