One of the sayings here in the U.S.A is “when the cat is away, the mice will play.” But when a SPOUSE is away, the other spouse usually finds little to nothing playful about the situation. They often feel resentful, lonely, and tired of having the extra responsibility to run the household on their own.

And when the away spouse returns, the stay-at-home spouse many times has expectations for them to immediately pitch in and help, and/or give them a break from being with the children for a while, and/or talk and talk and talk, etc. It can put a real strain on a marital relationship because the other spouse has their own expectations. And having to fulfill a “to do” list isn’t usually one of them!

There ARE some marriages that can do well under these circumstances, but they seem to be those who purpose to work this situation out with a team spirit and intentionality. A lot of times they have some kind of game plan functioning for them which makes the best of this situation. But from what we’ve seen, these marriages are rare.

The important thing is that if you want to have a good marriage and not just one that barely functions under these circumstances, you need to make the effort to do that which will make sure “absence really does make your heart grow fonder.”

So, to help you in this mission, we are providing below several links to web site articles that we believe you will benefit from reading. The first one is written by Ellie Kay and is posted on the web site for the publication, Marriage Partnership Magazine.

To read this article, please click onto the following link:

• STAYING CONNECTED WHEN YOUR SPOUSE IS AWAY

-ALSO-

A series of articles put together by the ministry of Focus on the Family deal with this same subject. To begin reading, please click onto the link below:

• DEALING WITH PHYSICAL DISTANCE IN MARRIAGE

—ALSO—

The ministry of Family Life Today put together a 3-day radio broadcast with Dennis Rainey, who talks with Sam and Toni Gallucci, on the subject of being a “Road Warrior.”

Whether you are an executive who feels you have to be away from home at certain times because your career demands it, or you simply feel you have to work a job in another city away from your family, this series of broadcasts can be helpful for you and your spouse. We hope you will glean from the information given to make whatever you can work for your marriage.

To read the transcripts or to listen to them on your computer, please click onto the links provided below:

•  THE ROAD AS A ROMANCE

•  HAZARDS OF THE ROAD

• ON THE HIGHWAY TO HEALING

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