Although you need to attend many other important elements of life, nothing is more important than your marriage.

There are cases in your life when you need to give full attention to your spouse.

Here are six of the most important moments.

1 When you wake up in the morning

Let him or her know right off the bat at the beginning of your day that he is vitally important to you. Start with a kiss and say, “I’m the luckiest person in the world to be able to wake up next to you.” Then make the bed together. We didn’t say make out in the bed together, though there will be times for that. When you help each other make the bed it’s a beginning statement that you’re working together to make your home a pleasant place to be. The bedroom is a great place to start. It shows you care.

2 When you’re back together from work

Greet your honey with a loving embrace and another one of those kisses that say, “Oh, baby, do I ever love you!” It will feel like an electrical charge, giving you the energy to make the evening duties more enjoyable. Helping kids with homework, then putting them to bed will be much more meaningful when you’re carrying around the afterglow that comes from that memorable greeting.

3 When it’s your spouse’s birthday

Don’t you dare let that day slip by without some very special celebration. Start the day with a “Happy birthday, honey!” Don’t make your mate wonder if you remembered. Start early and make it fun all day. Birthdays are a great time to serve breakfast in bed. Going out to lunch with just the two of you can be fun, too. Include the kids with a dinner of his or her favourite food. If your spouse prefers pie to cake then load up the favourite pie – or whatever the preferred dessert is – with birthday candles, then sing out the traditional birthday wishes. Whatever you do, let your kids see you celebrating as husband and wife. That’s how they’ll learn the right way to do it when they’re married.

4 When your spouse is on stage

That means whenever your spouse is in the spotlight, so to speak. That can happen if he or she is playing a basketball game, running a marathon, giving a speech or singing in a programme. Any activity where she has prepared hard and needs your loving encouragement and applause. Your spouse needs to know that you are proud of her. Don’t forget to say the words, “It was so fun to watch you tonight. I’m glad I could be there. I’m really proud of you.”

5 When your spouse is ill

Nothing is quite so comforting when you’re sick as knowing that your sweetheart cares about you enough to give you the attention you need. Even if all your spouse needs is to be left alone to rest, then make it happen by taking care of the kids or whatever else needs to be done. Offer drinks, food, ice packs – whatever will be comforting. Loving care can help the healing happen faster.

6 When your spouse experiences a big disappointment

For example, the only thing that makes losing a job worse is to have a mate criticise you for it. That’s true with any major let down. We all need to know we are loved and valued as much during the hard times as during the happy times. Even though you can’t make it all better, you can be there with empathy and a listening ear. Travelling through the murky parts of life feels a whole lot better when you feel loved by your mate.