What would you do if in seven days you would never see your spouse, family, or loved ones again? What priorities would suddenly become most important? What words would you make sure to say? What wrongs would you rush to make right? What memories would you try to create in those few remaining moments?

Whatever you would do over the next seven days are likely things you should be doing consistently in your daily life (and if you already are, I commend you). Because sometimes we forget—our time together isn’t guaranteed.

Marriage, in particular, is a sacred promise to walk through life hand-in-hand, but it’s easy to lose sight of that in the middle of bills, work, parenting, and daily stress. Yet the heart of marriage isn’t just about partnership—it’s about presence. It’s in the shared coffee in the quiet morning, the laughter over dinner, the hand you reach for during hard times. It’s in the listening, the forgiving, the showing up.

Sometimes I wonder if we have a false sense of connection with those we love. It’s so easy to tap someone on the shoulder electronically these days. Technology is a real blessing—especially if you spend too many days on the road—but here’s what I’ve learned: texting, email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others will never replace voice-to-voice and especially face-to-face communication.

If you knew that in the next seven days you would never see your spouse again—never again hear their laugh, feel their embrace, share one more inside joke—would you spend time scrolling through your phone or binge-watching another show? Probably not. You would do whatever it takes to be fully present. You would listen more deeply, speak more kindly, touch more intentionally, and look into their eyes just a little longer.

The purpose of this article is simple: to nudge you into living more fully in the “real” world with your spouse and family. To remind you that while love can be felt in a text, it’s proven in the day-to-day moments of attention and care.One day, we will all say goodbye to our loved ones. For some, it might be in the next few days; for others, years down the road. Either way, that day is coming. So let’s make the most of the time we have now—to love deeply, forgive quickly, and cherish fully the people who make life worth living, especially the one you chose to walk through life with.