Anniversaries are super special in my house. I would never have imagined being married to my husband for eighteen years. Real talk, my parents didn't even think my husband Don and I would remain married past the first six months. They expressed this to us more times than I can count. Why would my parents think this, let alone have the nerve to verbalize this to us? Well, the … [Read more...]
5 of the Greatest Life Lessons I’ve Learned Since I’ve Been Married
During my commute last week, I heard a song by Fantasia for the first time called When I Met You. One of the lines in the song really caused me to reflect on my marriage and who I’ve become since I got married almost 20 years ago. The line was “When I met you, I met me too.” It made me think about the growth that happens in a relationship and how much self-discovery actually … [Read more...]
Major Key Alert: Wives Give Real Talk on How to Have an Exceptional Marriage
As a single lady who desires to be married, I constantly get messages on social media about dating, courtship and marriage. These messages come in the form of wedding photos, smiling faces, relevant scriptures and empowering statements, which are all fine, but sometimes you have to dig deeper. Single people who desire to be married one day should be intentional about … [Read more...]
The Greatest Lessons Wives Can Teach Husbands About Love and Marriage
At some point in time, we are all teachers and we are all students. There are lessons we learn about love that only our spouse can teach us. Wives, for example, have special gifts that can make marriage a little better and easier. If husbands were able to learn a few of these gifts, I can only imagine how much stronger marriages would become. However, in order for a lesson … [Read more...]
3 Reasons Why Arguing With Your Spouse Can Be a Good Thing
Some people hear the word "argument" and immediately think of a nasty fight. I don’t. I think an argument is merely a difference in opinion. Sure, it can get pretty nasty if people decide to take it there, but it doesn’t need to. If you keep your anger and frustration in check, an argument is just a healthy exchange that happens from time to time. I don’t argue with my … [Read more...]
5 Marriage Lessons I Learned from My Kids
Kids have a way of challenging us and pushing us to look at our lives from a different perspective. As cliché as it may sound, I can honestly say that my children have changed me in so many ways. And some of the change is difficult to process because our kids force us to see not just our best, but also our worst qualities. As difficult as that may be, though, seeing the worst … [Read more...]
5 Lessons that Keep Us Growing Together After 27 Years
Even after 27 years of marriage, things are still getting better. You know nothing stays the same. Life continues to happen day by day, moment by moment. It is not standing still waiting for us to get our acts together. It's up to us to get our act together in the moment we find ourselves. Many years ago my husband and I, we decided time was not going to catch us standing … [Read more...]
Three Surprising Marriage Lessons Learned from a Newborn
Almost three months ago I gave birth to my third baby. He hasn’t been in the world for a full quarter, but he’s already teaching me some important life lessons. Without even knowing or trying, just by being a baby, my little boy is teaching me how to be a better spouse through things like… The way that he smiles - Even when he is responsible for some of my roughest nights, … [Read more...]
5 Things Every Man Needs to Learn Before He Gets Married
I've been married for almost two years, but I still feel compelled at times to share bits of wisdom I’ve collected over the years with singles that have intentions of being married some day. I think it's especially important for married men to share with single men because so much of what we have all been taught about being a man is counterproductive to having a good marriage. … [Read more...]
10 Marriage Moments You Never Want to Forget
The older I get, the less I seem to remember. Unfortunately, I’ve never been one who could recall specific times and dates for certain events. Now, the birth of my children always seems like it happened just yesterday, a pleasant memory not to be forgotten. And then, there are a few of my most embarrassing moments that I tend to hold onto as well. Memories of my lost loved … [Read more...]
After Nine Years of Marriage, I’m Finally Ready to be Married
After nine years of marriage, I don’t know if I’ve learned a whole lot. I knew it was going to be difficult. I knew it would be a challenge. I also knew it had the potential to be one of the greatest experiences of my life. As a kid, I didn’t really have a decent example of marital bliss since I was raised primarily by my single father. He always made sure we had a maternal … [Read more...]
What Exactly is the “Work” People Say Is Required in Marriage?
How often have you heard the phrase, "marriage takes work"? This saying usually raises concerns to those who are considering marriage. Married folks definitely make it sound a lot harder than it actually is. Those single folks who were already on the fence can easily be persuaded to remain single at the thought of "work". I mean who really wants to work when it comes to … [Read more...]
3 Hard Lessons I’ve Learned From Being Married
Every single one of life's trials has its lessons, and it's up to each one of us to actively learn what life has to teach us... less we repeat the same unnecessary trials. After almost 9 years and through one separation, here are 3 valuable lessons my marriage has taught me. You have tied your life to someone else's decisions We're all taught that we are all responsible for … [Read more...]
10 Lessons You Learned in Pre-School that Also Apply to Marriage
Just recently, I overheard my son having a conversation with my ten-year-old niece. He was asking her about her basketball game and if her team won. When she replied “no, we lost”, he replied back, “Well you need to come up with a plan!” Needless to say, we all had a good laugh at that one. But it got me thinking about what we’re teaching our kids and how they are processing … [Read more...]
The 10 Most Important Things My Divorce Taught Me About Marriage
I can’t believe it’s already been almost 10 years since my marriage ended. When I got married in 1999, I just knew it was for keeps. Divorce was never an option. Or so I thought. After coming through the most difficult season in my life, I was able to eventually step back and understand where and how things went so wrong. I hope these lessons help you take stock of your own … [Read more...]