Dear Marriage Investors,

October has a way of slowing us down, if we let it. The leaves turn, the evenings come earlier, and the world outside starts to look a little more golden and a little more still. We love this season because it reminds us that good things grow quietly, and that there is beauty in every season of life, including every season of marriage.

As the days grow shorter, we want to invite you to make the evenings count. Not with something big or expensive, just with something intentional.

This Month’s Challenge: The Fifteen-Minute Porch Talk

Three evenings a week this month, set aside fifteen minutes with your spouse. Phones away, TV off. Sit on the porch, at the kitchen table, or in the car in the driveway with a warm drink. Ask each other one simple question: “What was the best part of your day, and what was the hardest?” Then simply listen. No fixing, no rushing. Just be present. You might be surprised how much connection can grow in fifteen minutes.

A Word to Hold Onto

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9–10

Whatever this season is bringing you, you are not meant to carry it alone. You have each other, and you have Him.

A Couple of Things That Might Bless You

• Take the free Marriage Score. A simple, gentle way to see where your marriage is thriving and where it could use some attention: marriageinvestors.net/marriage-score
• Visit the shop. Valerie’s Abiding in Marriage study and Forever Together are there to walk with you, one step at a time: marriageinvestors.net/shop
• This month on the blog. How to Talk About Money in Marriage Without Fighting, a gentle read for any couple whose money talks get tense.

Thank you for investing in your marriage, and for letting us walk alongside you. We are praying for you both this month.

Keep investing,
Marcellus & Valerie Bonner
Marriage Investors