I recently came to a revelation in my own life: I've been crossing the threshold of my home expecting to get into it with my wife. And although I have no tool of measurement to gauge how often this was occurring, I can say it was happening a lot. I was fearing aka expecting aka having faith in a negative outcome. I realized that this kind of behavior is what happens when you … [Read more...]
Do You Have an In Case of Emergency Contact List for Marriage Support?
Conflict arises in marriage. And when that happens, it's natural to need an ear or a shoulder sometimes. We need our moments to vent and to get some helpful feedback. But we need to be careful that those we're allowing into our marriage aren't doing more harm than good with their advice, or lack thereof. Be sure that you're talking about your marriage with the right people by … [Read more...]
When You Want To Leave…Push Past!
Recently, I had a chance to check out the DC screening of the founders of this site's new film, Still Standing. I have seen each of their three previous films and of course each of them were top notch. But this new film is "next level" times three or four! When asked about how to survive hitting the "marriage wall," one of the couples replied, "Push past it..." It was a … [Read more...]
What Marriage Test Have You And Your Spouse Survived?
We never know when our story can be used as inspiration for someone else who may be currently experiencing the same thing. I am blessed because every day, at my daytime job, I get to hear stories of triumph. People who have overcome many of life's toughest struggles share how they became victorious. Hearing their stories confirms that people can overcome any challenge, if they … [Read more...]
Do You Have A Marriage Emergency Contact List?
Conflict arises in marriage. It's natural to need an ear or a shoulder sometimes, but when we need our moments to vent or to get some helpful feedback, we need to be careful that those we're allowing into our marriage aren't doing more harm than good with their advice, or lack thereof. Be sure that you're talking about your marriage with the right people by making a list of … [Read more...]
Tell the Truth, Even When It Hurts
Growing up, my dad detested lies. That was the worst thing you could do in his house. He always told me and my brothers to tell him the truth no matter what. Of course we lied, on numerous occasions. Our misbehavior displeased my father; our lies hurt him. Now that I am a wife and a mother, I understand. When we lie to our loved ones, we dishonor them. We take for granted … [Read more...]
Silence: The Silent Killer For Marriage
Do a quick Google search on "silent killers" and here is some of what you will find: diabetes, hypertension, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, hydrogenated oils, carbon monoxide, AIDS...and the list goes on and on. All pretty serious stuff that can be lurking around the corner and in our bodies. We are unaware of their presence as well as their destructive work. To me it is … [Read more...]
Are You Really Ready For A Relationship?
I recently had a conversation at a friend's birthday get-together that I felt I just had to share. It started when one of the women there responded to a compliment on her outfit by saying, "Well, that's one of the perks of having a cheating boyfriend." As you could imagine, I was curious to know why she would say something like that. She said that her boyfriend was a serial … [Read more...]
You Can Break The Cycle Of Failed Relationships
He was ready; she wasn't. By the time she got ready, he had become comfortable with the way things were. Admittedly, she was scared of marriage. The examples she saw growing up left her cynical and frustrated about marriage. Her parents divorced. Her grandparents divorced. Her aunts and uncles divorced. Now the cousins she grew up with are divorcing. Her boyfriend's dad was a … [Read more...]
The One Guaranteed Way To Improve Your Relationship In The Next 30 Days
If your relationship is kind of rocky, or you're coming off a huge argument, you have a few options to get your relationship back on track. You can spend a ton of money on counseling sessions, self-help books, or marriage seminars and hope that they work. But if you haven't done this one thing first, then you might not get too far in turning things around. What's this one … [Read more...]
Fellas, Do You Have “Husband Ears”?
by Charli Penn-Watkins (https://manwifeanddog.com/) As women, we can and often do talk a lot about what we want and need done in our homes, our careers, and especially our marriages. Some of us more than others, but either way, communicating is most likely what we women tend to do best. That said, is the man in your life really listening, I wonder? You see, the other day … [Read more...]
Banishing “You Never…” And Other Troublesome Phrases From Your Marriage
In my graduate courses this semester, I'm learning how to help families fix their problems while focusing on their strengths. Sounds challenging, and it is, but I'm so grateful this knowledge is spilling over into my marriage. I can admit freely that some resentment had built up between my husband and I because I felt he wasn't holding up his end of the bargain. Can't he see … [Read more...]
How Do Men Best Respond To Requests?
I received a ton of great buzz on my post, "Why Is It So Hard To Ask For What We Want In A Relationship?" I was just speaking from the heart there, and was trying to figure out why my needs weren't getting met and what I needed to do about it. I was exhausted all the time from the never-ending list of "things to do," and part of the exhaustion was because I was harboring … [Read more...]
Don’t Suffer In Silence: Speak Up in Your Marriage Before It’s Too Late
Too often in too many marriages couples are missing the mark on effective communication. Spouses are taking turns shutting down. They are personally dealing with issues and emotions causing a disconnect between them and their mate. And yet they are silently choosing to disregard, suppress feelings and not address it with their spouse. Normally the idea behind that choice is … [Read more...]
Are You Validating Your Spouse Every Day?
After reading Eric's thought-provoking post last week on what happens when you treat your spouse like your enemy, my brain was working overtime. While I definitely think no good can come from forgetting that our spouse is, in fact, on our side, the article made me think about what happens when we treat our spouse like they don't matter. For example, every time I'm away from … [Read more...]