Greetings all,

This weekend, my wife and I attended a session, possibly somewhat similar to the Marriage Builders weekend, called Retrouvaille. (Retrouvaille means "rediscovery" in French.)

The drive to the weekend seemed very long. Barely a word was spoken between my wife and I, and the few words that were spoken had overtones of accusation, guilt, and pessimism.

Over the course of the weekend, we first learned a tool to facilitate communication, then used it to get in touch with each other. By the time we left to drive home, it seemed that most, if not all, of the attending couples had redescovered at least part of the reason why they had married in the first place. One couple even heard God speaking to them when, while searching for matches to light a candle, they unexpectedly found a matchbook printed with the details of their wedding day. It was somewhat battered around the edges, but the words printed on it were still legible. There were still matches in it too. As the lady observed later, "the matches still work too."

I would like to take this opportunity to thank God with all my heart for bringing this weekend into my life, and to encourage anyone who is invited to such a weekend to take a chance and go. I would also like to take this opportunity to share with you my prayers for all those in the Retrouvaille community, and similar groups.

On the way home, my wife and I were talking to one another once more. I feel very optimistic that we will now not only be able to stay married, but also be able to find real joy in each other. Probably even more so than we would ever have managed on our own.

Thanks for listening,
God Bless,
Richard

Richard,

I am so happy to hear about your weekend!!! My husband and I attended Retrouvaille too, almost 2 years ago. Please know, we did not have immediate success but in the long run, it was a great expeience for us. Keep working, keep at the dialoguing. We did not continue to dialogue ever night but we learned much about communicating our own feelings and how to accept each other's feelings. Are you going to the post sessions? We attended all but one, had to drive close to 2hrs for each one. We did not get involved with the ongoing support group. I sometimes wish we had, but it is a long drive. There is a group closer, but we don't know those couples. I do keep in touch with 2 couples on a rare occasion.

Lord, help Richard and his wife continue the work set in motion this past weekend. Teach them to be gentle and understanding with each other. Amen

In response to your question about attending the follow-up sessions, my answer will be an enthusiastic "yes".

We are fortunate, because it will only be about an hour drive each way. Even if it were more, I think it would be worth it, and I believe my wife feels the same way.

That's wonderful Richard. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" /> I am somewhat familiar with Retrouvaille-- it is in the area where my husband and I lived and I believe I looked into it while we were separated. I have heard good things about it. It is a wonderful "praise report" to hear how God used it in your marriage. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" /> Are you familiar with a ministry called "Family Life Today"? They also have couples seminar/weekends called "Weekend to Remember." They are an awesome ministry. Here is a link to them: http://www.familylifetoday.org/