The beauty of marriage is we never stop learning about our spouses. There are always new stories from their past we hear about at family gatherings, and important influences and defining moments we discover about our spouses over time.

Couple Activity – Road Maps: One fun exercise is to grab some paper and physically draw a timeline of your life. Think back to all of the major milestones and defining moments along the way. You might include big positive moments like your wedding or the birth of a child, maybe a graduation, memorable trip, or incredible gift. Perhaps learning to bake or swim or having a special mentor or teacher shaped your life. There will be negative memories, too - perhaps a serious accident, being bullied in school, the day your parents divorced, or when someone special in your life passed away.

After you each map out the big defining moments and memories, walk your spouse through your journey. In doing so, you’ll get a much richer picture of your spouse’s history and the influences that have shaped them to this point. Understanding how certain life experiences have colored your spouse’s outlook can also give you deeper insight, and help you show them more grace and compassion. 

For more mini marriage PREP tips, click here!