By Mary Jane and Don Scarbeau

Mary Jane: Don and I have been married 42 years. We have four children, 17 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. We moved to Bowling Green in 1985 and became members of Holy Spirit Church. It is here our spiritual faith began to grow. In August of 2001, we went to a marriage encounter weekend in Owensboro. Not knowing what to expect, we came away from the weekend with many uplifting thoughts and memories. Not only had we gained new friends and experienced great fellowship, but our relationship was better than ever. The Holy Spirit has been working in our lives and this added to a wonderful journey. My wish is for every married couple to experience a marriage encounter weekend and to come away reaping the benefits. Personally, this weekend made me realize that in spite of life’s problems, you can once again find the happiness and closeness you had once experienced early in your married life. Leave behind personal worries and spend your time concentrating on each other for the weekend. I am so thankful we took the time to attend a Marriage Encounter, for many prayers were answered for us. We both came away with a lot of happy memories and renewed spirit.

Don: When Mary Jane and I decided to go on this Marriage Encounter Weekend, I had no earthly idea what lay in store. I joked with friends that I was going to "put some fire" back in our marriage. I never, in my wildest dreams, would have realized the results of that weekend.

Over a period of time, I had gradually built a wall around myself that became my comfort zone. Little things that bothered me about our marriage, the future, and any other fears I had about life in general were kept there. No one was allowed into this zone. On many of our travels, conversation was at a minimum as I kept to myself in my little world. I really thought our marriage was great after surviving over 40 years. I can truthfully say, because of Marriage Encounter Weekend, those walls are now down and our marriage has returned to those wondrous times we shared early in our married life. We talk more, we laugh more, we share more. We are once again like the two people that started our lives together so many years ago. To say I was impressed with the weekend would be an understatement. I strongly suggest any couple who would like to "put some fire" back in your marriage consider a Marriage Encounter Weekend. Leave behind your worries, either family or business, and commit yourselves to yourselves and I guarantee you can only reap the benefits of a truly magnificent weekend.