Here in the midwest, we have been experiencing a colder-than-average winter—some days setting new records for cold. February's bleak and dreary weather has little to offer with the exception of two things—the Super Bowl (and the parties that come with it), and Valentine's Day. And since connecting marriage and the Super Bowl would be a stretch, even for me, let's [...]
This month we begin looking at Commitment 5: We will deal with our differences with appreciation and grace. Unity in marriage is not the result of sameness. Unity is, rather, the result of what husband and wife do in the face of the inevitable differences that exist in the lives of every married couple. We continue this month looking at [...]
This month we begin looking at Commitment 6: We will work to protect our marriage. Many of us have known couples who after 25 years of marriage, or more, decide to call it quits. We think "if they made it that long, why call it quits now?" How does that happen? For many, at some point in their relationship, they [...]
As Valentine's Day approaches once again, you can almost smell the panic in many husbands and boyfriends knowing that their wives or girlfriends are wanting—and in many cases—perhaps even expecting something special to happen that day. I have a certain disdain for these “Hallmark” holidays contrived to sell more greeting cards, chocolates, and flowers than you can imagine. They [...]
When you hear the word "cherish", what do you think of? I think of the 1966 song "Cherish" by the band The Association. Yeah, I'm THAT old. The song starts out with these lyrics... Cherish is the word I use to describe All the feeling that I have hiding here for you inside When I hear the word cherish—almost [...]
Every marriage has nagging problems calling for our attention. Some of us may come to the conclusion that our difficulties are because we married the wrong person. Those who decide to divorce and marry someone else soon find that the same issues keep popping up no matter who they are with. We seem to have the same chronic irritations [...]
Last month we started sharing excerpts and principles from Milan & Kay Yerkovich's book titled, "How We Love", which examines the connection between our childhood experiences and how we give and receive love as adults. We talked about why every marriage gets stuck sometimes and asked a pivotal question—"Can you recall being comforted as a child after a time [...]
Milan & Kay Yerkovich, in their book titled, "How We Love", have identified four love styles that impair how we love others, especially our spouse. They are: The Avoider Style, The Pleaser Style, The Vacillator Style, and The Chaotic (Controller & Victim) Style. Last month we examined how crucial our early childhood experiences are and how they impact how [...]
This month we wrap up our discussion of Milan & Kay Yerkovich's book titled, "How We Love". It shows how crucial our early childhood experiences are and how they impact how we give and receive love even today as adults. Last month we looked at two of the four love styles that impair how we love others, especially our [...]
We took a month off for Summer break and enjoyed a bit of what Colorado has to offer. This month, we're starting a new topic that I'm sure many married couples can relate to—how to maintain a healthy, growing marriage relationship in the midst of raising a family. We will spend the next few posts on this topic. It [...]
