Monday 20th January was Blue Monday, a day when apparently all our Christmas financial and relational misgivings catch up with us, the weather is grim, our resolutions have fallen by the wayside and we’ve just caught the second wave of the seasonal lurgy. What better tonic then, than to spend a day focussed on pouring into your most precious earthly relationship! On Saturday 25th January we did just that as we welcomed 26 couples into the beautiful, peaceful surroundings of St Barnabas Church in Cambridge for A Day Together.
A Day Together gives each couple the space, time and direction to chat about those things we so often avoid or find difficult to know how to approach.
Couples come with all sorts of backgrounds and experiences. They may be in a good place with each other or not so good. It’s very easy to think that only you are feeling hurt or struggling, that no other couple argued in the car on the way to the marriage day and that the last thing you want to hear is perfect couples sharing their expertise on how to do it right.
Bill and Lynda are one of our speaker couples. In their talk on good communication they share their own personal story of a bygone Blue Monday; one Christmas when a small offence over presents was left unresolved and came bubbling out in negativity several weeks later. This story seemed to strike a chord with many as Bill and Lynda, self-confessed imperfect amateurs, shared their own failings in an honest and personal way. They then went on to talk about useful tools we can all implement to make communication better between us. And this is the great bit, each couple then gets the chance to put these tools into practise. There and then, privately, without the usual distractions. And thus we have the model for the day, covering five areas of relationship: communication, growing, resolving conflict, loving and moving on together.
Here’ are a few comments from some of our couples, whether they were feeling blue or not:
Highlights:
- Having an entire day to focus on our marriage without having the kids around!
- Having the opportunity to talk openly and honestly without the rest of life getting in the way.
What would I say to others?:
- Some of the most useful tips I’ve ever heard, based on sound principles that are proven in the presenters’ lives.
- I would absolutely recommend this as time to invest in your relationship. The time together to talk has been invaluable
- Although we were in a room with 20+ other couples it was as though the event had been arranged just for the two of us. We had the chance to think through and talk about things which mattered to us. We’re closer for that.
Blue Mondays and those relationship doldrums aren’t limited to January. We all need to take that time out to invest in and nurture our relationships. Why not stave off the blues and come along to A Day Together!
Tiffany Atkins, Feb 2020
