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...]
How to Stay Together When Your Family and Friends Want You to Divorce
For years, my husband Don and I had an extremely rocky marriage. During those tumultuous years, I confided in a lot of girlfriends. I told them everything he did and did not do. I was painting a picture of him that had them not speaking to him or wanting to be around him. When things were at their worst, I ran my mouth. Straight up. I even convinced myself that I was going … [Read more...]
Why Fighting For My Marriage is the Best Thing I’ve Ever Done
A few years ago, Don and I were at a crossroad in our marriage and we had to decide if we were going to remain married even though we didn’t like each other. It was not easy to live with this question hanging over my head nor was it pretty. The realization that we did not like each other was painful, but we had no idea how to break from it. One day, we decided to have a … [Read more...]
Seven Strategies that Saved My Marriage
I’m going to be totally honest with you: sometimes, I am annoyed when folks say they want a marriage like mine and Don’s. What they don’t know is that we experienced many ups and downs in our marriage. The 'downs' seemed to last forever. We’ve experienced the difficulties of blending a family, numerous periods of unemployment, a child going to jail, alcoholism and an emotional … [Read more...]
Challenge: 30 Days of Service to Your Spouse…Can You Handle It?
Don and I decided to do a 30 Days of Service Challenge after watching the below video by Comedian Mike Goodwin. Mike decided to do something every day to serve his wife for an extended period of time - - 30 days. I thought it was going to easy to knock out. Wrong! The first few days we were enthusiastic about out-serving each other. He made me breakfast in bed on more than one … [Read more...]
Wake-up Call: Divorce Begins Long Before She Walks Out the Door
When she packed her bags, and walked out the door he was shocked. He didn't see it coming. What happened? What did he miss? Was there another man? No, there wasn't another man. However, there was a woman who felt alone in her own home. You see, her divorce began way before she walked out that door. Being a life partner now seemed like a life sentence for her. This had been … [Read more...]
Married Couples: If You Smile in Public and Cry Behind Closed Doors, Read This
There are too many married faces, smiling in public and crying behind closed doors. This may be you or a couple you know. For sure, it was me and my husband early-on in our marriage. We had just as many bad days as we did good days. Can you relate to any of these scenarios? You're leaving for work sad because of what is going on in your marriage.....but, you're happy you … [Read more...]
Single Ladies: 3 Very Important Lessons You Should Learn Before Becoming a Wife
You don’t know what you really want until you experience it firsthand. But when you want to be married, how in the world do you prepare for it without compromising your standards? I recently learned a few valuable lessons (in a crash course) about what it’s like to be a wife—sometimes. No - marriage is not all about date nights, someone to cuddle with every night, or rubbing … [Read more...]
You, Me and He? 2 Reasons to Allow the Holy Spirit into Your Marriage
When you face marriage difficulties and you don’t know how to solve them or how you are going to get through them, you need assistance. You need someone to comfort you and guide you. That someone is the Holy Spirit, and He can help you through very difficult times in your marriage. Here’s how. Romans chapter 8, verses 26 to 27 say: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in … [Read more...]
Why I Refuse to Let Guilt Tear Me Apart This Holiday Season
I had been living with a lot of guilt lately. It wasn't guilt because I personally did something wrong, but the guilt still robbed me of my joy and thanksgiving. Ironically, I had been feeling guilty for all the good things happening in my life recently. I wanted to rejoice that my parents and both my brothers along with their families would be with us at my brother's … [Read more...]
How God’s Sense of Humor Healed My Blended Family; Plus, 5 Tips for YOU
Many people ask, "how did you make your blended family work?" With so many couples turning to divorce in our society, I can see how this perplexes folks. My prayer is that these five tips will help you in this journey called LIFE. 1. Pray!!!! I am so serious about this. Bringing children and a spouse together is a totally different dynamic, which can make or break a new … [Read more...]
4 Books to Make Your Marriage Better, Tighter and Smoother
My husband Don and I have been married for 17 years, however, the first 15 were awfully tumultuous. We argued all the time and just could not get along. I now realize that I went into marriage thinking I would be a glorified girlfriend and that my husband would love me unconditionally until “death did we part.” That lasted all of three weeks. That’s it. The honeymoon and my … [Read more...]
5 Advantages and Disadvantages of Marrying Before You Turn 30
According to the Census Bureau, most Americans are marrying before they hit the 30 year mark. My husband and I got married when I was 24 and he was 27. Now, some 19 years later, I feel like we got married at a good age. We have both changed since then as individuals and as a couple. Well, I’ll say we have evolved as a couple. We have had time to really learn about ourselves … [Read more...]
Husbands, Are You Placing Your Wife on a Pedestal? 4 Gut Checks to See if You’re Slipping
Placing your wife on a pedestal may seem superficial but really it's not. It's a place of honor that is rightfully hers as your wife. That spot became hers and hers alone the moment you both said, “I do.” Don’t take her for granted, celebrate the crown of glory God has given you. Put her on a pedestal in your heart. A pedestal is a high place that is used to support and show … [Read more...]
ABC’s of Love; 26 Steps to a Happier Marriage
Remember the rules you learned in kindergarten on how to behave and treat each other? Well, I’ve put together a similar list for married folk. Below are simple tips from A to Z that will help you have a happy relationship. Always apologize when you’re wrong. It’s the mature thing to do. Be available when your spouse needs you. Don’t put him/her on the back … [Read more...]