Dear Lovers,

It is a gorgeous afternoon as we write this. The sky is so blue and the Fall colors are ablaze. It is a beautiful time of the year. We write this as we travel to the Weekend reunion for the Oct. 15-17 Weekend held at Bishop Lane. Did you attend your Weekend reunion? Do you remember how you felt? We remember how excited we were to be with the other couples and presenting team from our Weekend. We know that the couples at this reunion are on fire for their relationships and for the sacrament of matrimony. They are ready and willing to take on the world and change it one couple and priest at a time! It is a treat for us to be there surrounded by the energy of their love and the discoveries the Weekend brought to them.

We really want to thank all the prayer couples who prayed for these couples during the Weekend and for continuing to walk with them as they go back into the modern world. We know that your prayers lifted these couples spiritually and emotionally throughout the Weekend. We also want to thank the North St. Baneva and Rochelle communities for setting up the retreat center and greeting the couples on Friday night and then coming back on Sunday to provide a terrific potluck dinner. What a beautiful way to close the Weekend and provide a comfortable setting for our prayer couples and Weekend couples to meet. It is another reminder to us how important our communities are to Rockford/Madison/Milwaukee and WWME. It is our community couples that invite to the Weekend, set up and take down the Weekend, and love the newly Encountered couples into communities. Thank you is not enough to express how grateful we, as area leaders, are for you.

We have news for our community leaders too. We just attended a Community Leaders Meeting hosted by Dan & Denise Nedeau the Continuing the Journey leaders from Milwaukee and also by us, Garry & Arla. We really wanted to meet with our leadership couples to introduce the new Leaders Resource Guide. Contained within this handy little binder is updated information to help form and guide your community. There are presentations aimed at teaching community couples how to build relationship with each other and new couples coming into community. Another section contains presentations that are suitable for any community meeting and are easy to write and present. We've also added information just for the leadership couple that will help them to find the guidance and answers they may be looking for. Also introduced at the leaders meeting was a new area on our website available for community leaders. This area will help keep you up-to-date on the most current information concerning the Rockford/Madison/Milwaukee area and WWME nationwide. We hope our community leaders will find this area helpful and check it often.

Well, the Fall months are here and even though the year is winding down we seem to be busier than ever. We'd like to take a little time to tell you what's coming up in the new year! Our 2005 Weekend dates are set and we are putting the finishing touches on the arrangements for additional events and enrichments. We are working with the Rockford Diocese Family Life Office to co-sponsor the romantic comedy "I Do, I Do" at Northern Illinois University on February 12, 2005. There will be 2 performances with a dinner in between. Watch the eSpirit for more details. Also coming up is the Putt'n on the Ritz Dance in April. If you were at the past Putt'n on the Ritz you know how much fun we had! We're already planning for next year and we could use your help! It only takes 5 or 6 couples and 2 planning meetings to have a great event. Give us a call if you'd like to help make this dance happen. We also have a couple putting together the Family Campout. They are Roger & Jan Duet of St. Charles. They attended their very first ME campout last year and liked it so much they asked if they could plan next years. Of course we said "YES". Thanks Roger & Jan, we can't wait!!!

We really want to encourage you to visit and use the website often. The information you will find is continuously updated and there are many ways to communicate with other ME lovers. Have you tried the vCards section under Fun stuff? That's one of our favorite ways to send out information to couples. We also love the love notes and prayers sections. You need to check here often because you never know when someone will send something to YOU!

All our love and wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving and a Blessed Advent,

Garry & Arla Thomas
(847) 658-1585
getart@flash.net

We pray that your love and enthusiasm for one another never ends. We pray that you feel welcomed into the Encounter Community.

May you always experience His love and grace in your relationships!

October 15-17, Bishop Lane, Rockford, IL Weekend couples:

By all accounts, this year's celebration of Priests during World Priest Day was a success!

The Aurora Community wrote letters of thanks to each priest in Aurora and each couple at our October Community night signed them.

We received this letter from Fr. Robert Wilhite, Pastor of St. Rita of Cascia in Aurora, IL. Fr. Bob is on a sabbatical until December in California, but we gave him (and the other priests at St. Rita) a box of chocolate Pixies.

Dear Bob & Debbie, Keith & Nancy, Greg & Julie, and those I don't believe I know personally: Dick & Linda, Becky & Garry, Patti & Steve, Layla & John.

Thank you all for remembering me on World Priest Day, and for thanking me and the other priests you know for our "caring and effort" to love and serve the people of God. You are an inspiration to me... as you raise your children (and grandchildren) and live in the love you promised until death do you part. Priests may feel inadequate laborers in the vineyard, but the Spirit of God uses imperfect people like us to make God's love present in our parishes, in your families and our Church and world. God bless, as you continue to love and serve.

Thank you for the Pixies, too. I'm trying to hold myself to one every two days. I said trying, but haven't done it yet -- but actually they should last until Oct 4th.

California is sun, sea, wind, and too much to do where cars abound. Wow!

Thanks again,
Fr. Bob

Daily Dialogue is a wonderful thing. But don't stop dialoguing just because we may have missed some days, weeks, or months. We should be flexible as to when we will dialogue. We don't need to set a fixed schedule and do it at the exact same time each day. However, we do need to keep in mind that it should be a time when we are not interrupted.

One of the keys to dialoguing is to remind ourselves that we are only spending 20 minutes a day doing this. Ten minutes for writing, and ten minutes talking to each another. Another helpful hint is to have a supply of questions readily available. Our Website can help in that area. Check out our Dialogue section for topics and questions.

We should never ask our spouse why he/she wrote or said something. This is a time for listening, not for judging. If we are apart, take advantage of the Internet by utilizing eMail or a chat room. Another option is to write the letters daily daily and then read them all when we are back together and have one discussion about them.

Focus on your feelings rather than your thoughts. This may be the most difficult for some of us, but it is imperative that we do just that. Check out the section of our Website that focuses on feeling words.

We should not try to change our spouse through Dialogue. Dialogue is meant to strengthen our relationship through understanding, not through change.

Also, remember to separate when we write if we are writing at the same time. Writing together may be a distraction. And remember. Don't go over the ten minutes writing and ten minutes talking. If necessary, set a timer.

We have added some new features to our already overloaded Website. There's fun for the whole family in our "Fun Stuff" section.

The bright spot in our "Fun Stuff" section is our Virtual Greeting Card page. There are 200+ cards to choose from in a variety of themes. We use them to remind the members of our Community of upcoming events, such as Community Nights. Try it out and send one today.

We've added some trivia quizzes for those so inclined. For November, we have included some Thanksgiving trivia. Think you know Thanksgiving? Go to our quiz page and try it out. You have to register to play, but it only takes a few seconds and you're in business.

We have also included a place for you to share your favorite recipes with other Encountered Couples. Everyone knows that Community nights are all about the food. Why else would everyone gather around the kitchen? Just kidding!

And for those of you who may be inclined to work on crossword puzzles... We have that, too. Try your skill.

And last, but certainly not least, are our downloadable screen savers for your PC. And as if that wasn't enough, we can customize and create your very own, personalized version of one of the available styles.

FLASH: We have just added some "Love Coupons" to our virtual greeting cards. These coupons are redeemable anytime and range from homemade, romantic dinners to foot rubs. Visit our vCards section today. Or better yet, download a Love Coupons eBook and start giving them to the love of you life today.

We are all family and we believe in the lifestyle and mission of Worldwide Marriage Encounter. From time to time we need assistance in fulfilling that mission. To that end, we have installed a quick survey and we want to get some information for what assistance you might be willing or considering to offer.

Everything we do is on a volunteer basis and by filling out our volunteer form you are not committing yourself to anything except being open to your WWME family. Please check it out and "share your couple love" today.

Is the Spirit calling you to be more involved in the WWME movement?

The Rockford/Madison/Milwaukee Marriage Encounter Community is in great need of couples who want to be more actively involved in changing the world one couple at a time! Listed below are some of the ways you can help. If you have any questions about any of these jobs or if you're a Community Leader and have a couple in mind that you think would be a great asset to any of these communities please contact Ben & Jane Deutsch at (630) 377-0635 for more information.

SUPPORT COMMUNITY
House Couple: Responsible for the set up and takedown of the Weekend. This job is split between 2 couples.
Greeter Couple: This couple is responsible for scheduling communities to greet on & off for the Weekend.
Prayer Couple Coordinator East: This couple is responsible for making sure all couples on the Weekend from the Eastern part of the Rockford Diocese have a prayer couple and extended Dialogue letter.
Prayer Couple Coordinator North: This couple is responsible for making sure that all Wisconsin couples making the Weekend have a prayer couple and extended dialogue letter.

CONTINUING THE JOURNEY COMMUNITY
Community Start up Couple: This couple would be responsible with helping the CTJ Leaders to get new communities started up. CTJ is also looking for seasonal couples who could help with different functions throughout the year. These different committees would be for "Puttin' on the Ritz" dance, WWME Family campout, and the Rolle Bolle tournament.

INVITING COMMUNITY
Ministry Fair Coordinators: This couple would be responsible for tracking and getting help, if needed, for parish ministry fairs.
Media Coordinators: This couple would be responsible for planning and placing ads in different Catholic publications. They would also explore other media vehicles for getting the WWME word out to people.
Mass Talk Workshoppers: This couple/couples would be responsible for coordinating couples who already have mass talks written. They would also workshop couples who would like to write and present mass talks throughout the 3 dioceses.
Pulpit Pal Coordinators: This couple would be responsible with the scheduling and maintenance of our pulpit pal boards. These new inviting tools are used in the backs of various churches as another means for getting the word out for the Weekend.

Is your community looking for a great way to invite couples to the Weekend? A romantic candlelight dinner might be what your community is looking for. Candlelight dinners are easy to give and fun for the whole community. The Rockford/Madison/Milwaukee WWME Community has 2 candlelight dinner kits available for use. Each kit contains all you need to help your community put on a romantic candlelight dinner. If your community is hosting a candlelight dinner please let us know and we'll announce it here in The eSpirit. For more information contact Garry & Arla at (847)658-1585 or by email at: getart@flash.net

FLASH: The Aurora Community will be hosting a Candlelight Inviting Dinner on Nov 6th at Holy Angels Parish in Aurora. If you would like to invite a couple, please contact Keith & Nancy at (630) 801-0910 or by eMail at webcouple@wwmerockford.org.

"I'm a turkey hunter and that's why I'm in good shape. Get up before daylight, chase turkeys up and down the mountains."

The doctor says, "Well, I'm sure it helps, but there have to be genetic factors. How old was you dad when he died?"

"Who says my dad's dead?"

"You're 80 years old and your dad's alive? How old is he?"

"Dad's 100. In fact, he turkey hunted with me this morning."

"What about you dad's dad -- how old was he when he died?"

"Who says my grandpa's dead?"

"You're 80 years old and your grandfather's still living? How old is he?"

"118."

"I suppose you're going to tell me he went turkey hunting this morning?"

"No, he got married."

The doctor looks at the man in amazement. "Got married?" Why would a 118-year-old man want to get married?"

The old timer answers, "Who said he wanted to?"

Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Ingredients:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (you can substitute all semi-sweet or all milk chocolate according to your own tastes)
1 tbsp. shortening (do not use butter, margarine, or oil)
2 pints fresh strawberries, rinsed and patted dry

Directions:
Cover tray with wax paper. Place chocolate chips and shortening in a medium microwave safe bowl. Microwave at high for 1 minute. Stir. If necessary, microwave an additional 30 seconds or until chips are melted and mixture becomes smooth when stirred vigorously. DO NOT over heat. Holding the strawberry by the top, dip the bottom two-thirds of each strawberry into melted mixture. Shake gently to remove excess chocolate. Place on prepared tray.

Cover and refrigerate approximately 1 hour, or until coating is firm.
For best results, eat within 24 hours.