Create fresh memories in Spring

[notice]A fortnightly column on marriage, family and relationships.[/notice]

My husband and I have spent these last couple of days in the Kruger Park area hosting our friends from abroad who have wanted to come to these parts for an African safari.

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It has been amazing to me to realise how many people love our country and how they are willing to travel from distant lands alone as couples to explore and experiences new places and cultures together.

Our friends from America are young couples who are in the beginning stage of their relationship and they are seeing new lands together and making memories. Others had come from China, from Austria and Germany, and all of them have been amazed at the beauty that is Africa.

They have come here to see the big five. All of them included Cape Town in their schedule — a city with history such as Robben Island and beautiful sights. All of them went up Table Mountain — either hiked up or took a cable car. They have been to Cape Point which is where the Indian and the Atlantic Oceans meet. With all these experiences they have memories shared, and these memories have strengthened their bond as all the couples can refer back to their time in South Africa.

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This start of spring just reminded me once again the importance of taking time away as a couple to invest in and renew your love, to strengthen that bond as you make precious memories together.

You do not have to be spending money going to distant lands, but if you can go — great. You can make memories where you are, with what you have.

It does not take a lot to be creative about how to make memories together. This is your love. This is your relationship and the two of you will continue to walk this path together.

If you can afford it, go ahead and give yourself the gift of travel. Be romantic. Take the time to find ways of how you can make your time together memorable.

Every married couple needs sometime away. I have seen young couples go to tourism places and people who are at different stages of their relationship invest in their love. I got to see couples laugh together as they discovered new things and they got to see life with new eyes.

Spring brings about newness of life. Find ways to start afresh and bring newness in your relationship. Find ways to renew your love. Try a different restaurant when you go for your date night. Try a different hairstyle. Bring a change in your routine and find ways to spice up your relationship.

Don’t do things as you have always done. Winter is gone. It is no more. The longer, dark days and the cold are gone. This is your time to bring some freshness into your relationship.

Go outside and take that walk and breathe in the fresh air. Do things that your spouse loves to do. Explore things even in your intimate moments.

Bring laughter, bring joy, bring newness of life. Enjoy spring. We will all have different seasons in our relationship.

There will be warm days where you cannot keep your hands away from each other; when you want to be together all the time. There will be autumn when it seems that everything that you have worked for, all the effort you have put into the relationship is going down the drain.

There will also be winter, where you cannot stand to be together. Where you are easily irritated and the person who angers you the most is your spouse. In the winter season of your relationship, your spouse will have cold words coming from the very lips that profess to love you.

Then there will be spring — a chance to renewed closeness, passion and love.

There will be different seasons but you must make an effort to go where you have not been in your relationship. Give your love a chance to grow to new and exciting levels, explore different ways of doing things that you have been doing for a long time.

My tourist friends this week proved that all of us, with planning, can explore amazing new experiences.

Happy Spring!!!!!!!!!!
Shalom!