eMatrimony.org

Supporting, Encouraging, and Challenging the WWME Community

  Love Letters - Editors

eMatrimony News Flash - April 23, 2006

Jack & Karen Baker and Ralph & Jane Becker
Marco & Irma Saldaña and Benny & Vicky Castro

eMatrimony News Flash
April 23, 2006

Thank you to all who have been visiting eMatrimony.org. We are sending this email to you because either you, or someone who loves you, asked us to send you updates about eMatrimony. If you have not yet visited eMatrimony.org, please do so. If you are bilingual in Spanish, be sure to click on the link Versión en Español at the top of the home page to see the wonderful work the Spanish-speaking sections are doing with eMatrimony.org/Spanish.

Dear Lovers,

Ralph & Jane Becker, our webmasters, sent the following email to us and we thought it said so much that we asked their permission to share it with you.

We were reading this week's (dated 4/17/06) Newsweek magazine. The "My Turn" section, which is a weekly reader column, is entitled "We Had the Love, But I Long for the Letters". In this article, the author, William Shaw, laments the lack of written letters after his wife of 46 years passed away 2 years ago.

After explaining that he does have some cards and photos, Shaw writes, "But what I don't have is a letter from her in her handwriting - on her stationery - from her heart to mine. I regret she never had one from me and I wonder if she ever wanted one, or ever missed having a little bit of the real me to hold on to. A letter can be that.

"...no matter how close my wife and I were, no matter how much we loved each other, and no matter how many heartwarming memories I have of our togetherness, I don't have any tangible record of her heart speaking to mine. And how I wish I did."

Living the Marriage Encounter lifestyle means that none of the 2 million encountered couples in the world will ever have a lament like this. How blessed we are! We all have a written record that lays out, in black and white, that we do truly love each other. What a precious gift! Our love letters are truly a legacy for our love. Being a part of bringing the Weekend to couples truly does change the world!

Our focus as we prepared for the Triduum this past week was on Easter and our prayer life. We were also in the throes of securing Prayer Couples for our next Weekend. With this so much in our mind we offer you the following articles.

- From Love Letters/Readership, a heartwarming letter in Joyful Easter from Kinshasa.

- From News/International a beautiful picture and story in From Before Dawn to Mid-Morning – Good Friday in Guam.

- Under News/Section-Local two families share different types of blessings in their lives in WWME Family Gets New Home From Extreme Makeover, Home Edition.

- Under Resources/Stories, a couple shares how they overcome the challenge of preparing a presentation for their Share Group in Focus on Focuses.

- When you visit eMatrimony please remember to check our prayer Intentions & Requests. Our family relies on your prayers when they ask us to include their special intentions.

Help eMatrimony to grow!

- Is anything interesting happening in your area?  We need your input! Your articles and your opinions about what you want to see are important to keeping eMatrimony new and exciting.  Email your articles to

- Include an eMatrimony flyer in every weekend take-home packet, and make flyers available at all Community and Presenting Team meetings and functions.

- Forward a copy of this News Flash (or a link to its web page) to other encountered couples and priests in your area, and encourage them to submit their email addresses to receive future news flashes. To sign up, all they need to do is send a blank email message to

In Christ's Love,

Managing Editors:
English: Jack & Karen Baker
Bellevue, WA

Editors:
Español: Marco & Irma Saldaña
San Diego, CA

Webmasters:
English: Ralph & Jane Becker
Milford, MA

Español: Benny & Vicky Castro
Chandler, AZ

eMatrimony Mission Statement:
As an online publication of Worldwide Marriage Encounter, eMatrimony serves as a resource to support, encourage, and challenge couples, priests, and religious to live the values of the WWME experience and grow stronger in their efforts to renew the church and change the world.

This News Flash can be found at:
www.eMatrimony.org/news/ematrimonynewsflash_20060423.htm

Click here for a printable page (PDF, 27KB)