By Jacqueline Burkepile

Marriage is such a beautiful vocation and has been my dream my entire life. My dreams finally came true this past summer, and I couldn’t be happier! However, we already feel the craziness of living with another person. Because we’re human, we lose our patience, complain, or argue about things that don’t matter much. I’ve come up with seven New Year’s resolutions to help improve my daily life as a wife. I hope you find this as helpful as I do. 

1. Stay Positive: With all the stresses of daily life, keeping a good attitude can be tough. I find myself nagging my husband and complaining all too often. It creates a very stressful and negative atmosphere. Even though some complaints cannot be avoided, we must try to die to ourselves and offer the obstacles up to Jesus. When you find yourself wanting to nag your husband for something small, such as leaving a mess on the floor, take a deep breath and say, “Jesus, give me patience and peace to love and serve.” He will help you.
2. Get plenty of rest: Being well rested with a consistent sleeping schedule is extremely important in order to serve God to the fullest. For me, if I do not go to bed before midnight and sleep between 8 and 9 hours, I am useless the next day. I cannot fulfill my daily duties, I fall asleep during prayer, and I nag my husband because I’m grouchy. He is already tired from his day, and needs me to have a good attitude when he comes home. I can’t love the way God wants me to love if I am not well rested.
3. Exercise: Regular physical activity is very important to maintain a healthy lifestyle. You may wonder, “How can this make me a holier wife?” One of the primary reasons is that exercise releases endorphins in the brain. Endorphins make you happier, therefore creating a happier home life for you and your family. It also gives you more energy, helps you sleep better, controls weight, and fights disease,[1] all of which can help you be a holier wife and better fulfill daily obligations.
   
4. Follow the “Little Way”: I am a big fan of St. Therese of Lisieux’s “Little Way.” As loving wives, we can do small things for our husbands. He may not notice them, but God does. Picking up after him, making his lunch before he goes to work, doing his laundry, or even bringing him a cold drink as he sits down to rest after work are good examples. St. Therese taught us to serve God through small acts of kindness and sacrifice. We can follow her example through love and service to our husbands.
5. Make time for leisure: I notice that when I do not make time to do things for myself, I get stressed, anxious, and upset. Making time for yourself gives you a chance to recuperate and get away from all the worries and stresses of everyday life. In turn, it allows you to be positive, happier, and serve God more thoroughly in your daily life. Taking a walk, going out to lunch with a friend, or even seeing a dollar movie by yourself can be a great way to get some downtime.
   
6. Pray daily for your husband: Praying for your husband is one of the most important aspects of being a holy wife. Not only does it give your husband grace, it gives you the grace to live the vocation of marriage according to God’s will. St. Joseph is the patron of husbands and fathers. My husband and I ask for his intercession often and we are very grateful for his miraculous help in our lives.
7. Visit the Eucharist: Visiting Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, as well as asking the Blessed Mother’s intercession, will ensure you the graces to endure every trial and embrace the joys of marriage! I haven’t been married very long, but I know that Jesus, especially in the Eucharist, is the greatest strength there is. So attend daily Mass, visit the Blessed Sacrament, and receive Holy Communion as often as you can. You will surely receive all graces needed in this life and a great reward in the next!

Let us ask God for the grace to follow His Will and become the holy, saintly wives He wants us to be. May you have a blessed and happy New Year!

Jacqueline Burkepile is a journalist and blogger from Texas. A graduate of the University of North Texas, she married the man of her dreams in June 2012. She hopes to please God through her writing and her vocation of marriage.