,This Sunday is the most sacred of all days for those in the Christian faith - the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Even many who don't regularly attend church will be making it to the house of the Lord this week. But beyond a packed church, patent leather shoes, new suits, colored eggs, and chocolate bunnies - Easter Sunday means something to … [Read more...]
Elevate Your Marriage: 7 Practices of Highly Intimate Couples
Can a marriage survive without sex? Late last year, a friendly but intense argument around that question overtook what had been a pretty normal dinner discussion with six friends and turned it into a passionate, at times heated, all night debate. But as I and my friends, most of which were married, sat around the table batting our passionate feelings around, I zoned out and … [Read more...]
This Week’s Fab 5 Marriage Resources!
It’s time for another set of fabulous resources designed to help you strengthen and build a wonderful marriage and relationship. This week we have 5 more fabulous resources from the destination for marriage resources…The BMWK Resource Guide. In Renovating Your Marriage Room by Room, Dr. Johnny Parker speaks to you and your spouse about building a house of … [Read more...]
In Memoriam: A Tribute to Clarice “Anna Huxtable†Taylor
By Edward C. Lee Emmy nominated actress (1986), Clarice Taylor passed away this week at the age of 93. She is best known for her role as Anna Huxtable, Bill Cosby's mother on The Cosby Show. I remember when the Cosby Show was in its prime, there were those that felt that the show was not a real picture of "Black America." It was an argument that I did not agree with then, … [Read more...]
If You Are Happy and You Know It, Then Your Marriage Will Surely Show It
By Edward C. Lee If you are happy and you know it then your marriage will surely show it. It is funny how the light and silly things of life seem to provide the deepest moments of enlightenment. This morning I was at my son's swimming lesson, jumping around in the pool with about 10, 3-year-olds singing, "If Your Happy and You Know It," when suddenly the realization and joy … [Read more...]
The Mother I Hated, The Mother I Love!
By Edward C. Lee Ok, I won't be repeating the H-word from the title, it hurts just looking at it. But I think all of us can look back to some point in our relationship with our mother and remember thoughts or expressions of... dislike for mom's expression of love toward us. My mother has always been supportive, caring, compassionate and just an all around great mom. She … [Read more...]
Parenting Conundrum: What Would You Do?
By Edward C. Lee Last weekend I was out with some friends at one of those restaurant/bar type places that reminds all of us parents what life was like before we got married and had kids. The food was great and the music so loud on the main floor that there was no way our party of nine was going to have a conversation without shouting at each other. Yet somewhere amid … [Read more...]
Does A Bad Start Have To Mean A Bad Finish To Your Relationship?
by Edward C. Lee Any good love story begins with, "Once upon a time" and ends with "...and they lived happily ever after." But what about when our real life relationships neither start nor end like a fairytale? I pose the question, because I recently had dinner with a friend of mine that is going through a divorce, after more than 15 years of marriage. Pretty sad turn … [Read more...]
Getting To Better Communication
By Edward C. Lee The last few months I have taken up this challenge to work toward improving the communication between me and my wife. It is a challenge prompted by a weeklong visit by my parents. On one of the nights that they stayed with us I woke up around 3am and was doing some reading. As I walked around my house I could hear my parents talking in the guest room. My … [Read more...]
…But Can You Forget?
By Edward C. Lee Last week I wrote a post on the connection between forgiveness and intimacy. From that post, I received several comments related to what has to be the next step after we forgive, and that is - the difficulty of forgetting. I really appreciate those comments about how hard it is to forget, because I think we all face tough situations where the memory just … [Read more...]
Increase Intimacy By Practicing Forgiveness
I was involved in a conversation with a buddy of mine the other day that took me back to a real serious situation early on in my relationship with my wife. My friend and I are in one of those slightly awkward spots, where two mutual friends that have been dating, have just broken up. So my friend was explaining why he saw one person's actions as justifiable. I just listened. … [Read more...]
Dads Need Help, Too
By Edward C. Lee This week there has been quite a bit of discussion in the media about a study that came out in the medical Journal of Pediatrics. This University of Michigan study of 1,746 new fathers, suggests that a depressed father is nearly three times more likely to spank their less than one year old child than a father not experiencing feelings of depression. While a … [Read more...]
The Adjustment Bureau: Can You Really Adjust Your Love?
By Edward C. Lee Last Saturday my wife and I had the chance to do something we just don't get the chance to do often - go to a movie. We get so few chances to go that when we do get to go we have to make sure it is a good one. So we checked out the new Matt Damon flick, The Adjustment Bureau. All I will say is that this is an instant classic - I loved this movie. I don't … [Read more...]
Moving From A Husband To A “House-Band”
By Edward C. Lee As I sit at my computer writing this, the hour is late. I have missed three different deadlines, my son won't go to sleep and my wife wants to talk after we just spent a great weekend away at a bed and breakfast where I was forbidden from using my computer (life could be worse - smile). It is under this reality of feeling pulled between family and … [Read more...]
Thriving in Marriage During A Recession
By Edward C. Lee From a technical standpoint many economists and financial experts have said that our nation's recession ended in June of 2009. While it may be "technically" true, for many families the struggle continues. Every week new reports come out about the number of newly unemployed or recently foreclosed upon. While things may be improving, the economy is still … [Read more...]