Celebrating National Marriage Week!

Happy National Marriage Week! Who knew? I actually found out about it through an email, and I'm sure glad I did. It's quite appropriate that it culminates on Valentine's Day.  The day of LOVE!  Celebrating marriage between one man and one woman on a national level is very exciting.   It's an opportunity to reconfirm the importance of this time honored institution, that is at the very heart of strong families and communities, everywhere!

Here is what I was able to find out...

National Marriage Week is the brainchild of Richard Kane who started it in the UK in 1996. It has now spread to The Czech Republic, Hungry, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Australia. See -http://www.marriage-weekinternational.com. Marriage Week was adopted in the U.S. in 2002 by co-founders Brent Barlow and. Diane Sollee of Smart Marriages. In 2009, a group led by Chuck Stetson and Sheila Weber of the Let's Strengthen Marriage Campaign, working with dozens of organizations in the U.S. and many leaders in the marriage movement, have developed the National Marriage Week USA site to bring together the many activities that organizations all around the country, including churches and houses of worship, are already doing to strengthen marriage during National Marriage Week USA— February 7th to 14th each year. We recognize in particular that social science is clear that children are best served when they grow up with both a mother and father. It is critical to strengthen the bonds of marriage to best support children so that they can thrive and flourish.
Let’s Strengthen Marriage is a national campaign initiated in February 2010 to encourage many diverse groups to launch individual and simultaneous efforts, as well as some collaborative, in order to raise the issue of marriage to the national agenda. We seek to build cooperation with houses of worship, businesses, education, the media, government and with parents.

I would love to see National Marriage Week, under this definition, be given a holiday!  At least one day.  A day for children to gather around a mother and father, where the importance and blessings of what traditional marriage can do to bless the family are discussed.  Where children are raised to value the benefits of this most sacred of all unions. 

Here is how one local community has taken the importance of marriage and made it a priority...  (I apologize for the commercial in the beginning of the video)

As we look toward the future of marriage here in the United States, it is becoming imperative that we take the time to teach our children the sacred nature of marriage between a man and woman, from God's perspective. The world is getting louder and louder and mainstream media would have our children believe that same-gender relationships are the norm.

I'm grateful to understand that regardless of where society goes with trying to redefine marriage for the masses,  people of faith can continue to confidently teach our children what is right, without fear of our beliefs ever becoming outdated.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, weekly set aside Mondays to spend time with family and specifically teach our children gospel principles.   We call it Family Home Evening, also known as FHE.   Regardless of whether we're ever given a holiday to pause and honor marriage, every family can take special time to teach its importance in our homes.

Be sure to visit the website, National Marriage Week USA where you can learn more about this important campaign.

tDMg
Kathryn

See also: Marriage Was NEVER Meant To Be Easy!