The marriage conference is in six weeks. That feels like a truncated amount of time in which to settle a bunch of details. The children's program needs another teacher, the website wants attention and it would be lovely to have a few more raffle prizes. When registration goes live next week things will start hopping, as I assign rooms for workshops and let presenters know how many participants to expect. 

Recently I heard that someone who has come several times invited a friend to try it too.

"But my marriage is not in trouble."

That surprised me. It is not part of our five goals to jumpstart marriages that are in dire straits. Rather we are about connection.

1. To gather with a hundred or so other people who value marriage, whether you yourself are currently in a relationship or not.

2. To enrich the relationships of people offering workshops, as they try to serve the community.

3. To build connections between presenters, as they work together for a common cause.

4. To grow in our understanding and enjoyment of marriage.

5. To invite God to bless our efforts to be better partners. 

That felt like an ambitious set of goals when we began eleven years ago, but the truth is, they have come to fruition. Not all of them all the time, but each of them have show up at least some of the time. Several of the plenary speakers in the past have told me that the experience was life giving. Imagine that, you put yourself out there in an genuine way, and you yourself are enriched as well.

Sound familiar?