A Beautiful Wedding

I had the opportunity to witness a beautiful wedding yesterday.  Some may say that all weddings are beautiful; I would have to disagree.  For me, the level of beauty becomes evident in how a couple invites God into the center of the ceremony.  As a marriage mentor, I’ve attended more than fifty weddings over the [...]

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Thanksgiving

I realized recently that I have become so single-minded on what is upside down in my life, that I fail to see the little blessings that God gives me everyday – such as a wonderful husband and so much more. I am thankful my husband has been given to me as a gift for the past thirty-three years.  [...]

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Become A Marriage Expert

When you were making plans to get married, did you take “spouse classes”? Thousand upon thousands of dollars are invested in educational goals, building and developing a career, and  becoming an expert in a chosen field.  Unfortunately, few of us choose to work equally hard at becoming a student of marriage. Think about it – [...]

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Music = Intimacy

For many husbands and wives, simply thinking about SI (spiritual intimacy) will start beads of sweat trickling down their foreheads.  The next thing you know they’re wiping the palms of their hands on the sides of their jeans, experiencing heart palpitations, tightness in the chest, and gastrointestinal distress.  Oh no, we need to experience this [...]

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Normal Like Me

I experienced a huge dose of reality after returning from our honeymoon and immersing ourselves into the daily routines of married life. I discovered my husband is weird.  He did not like the brussel sprouts and broccoli I prepared for dinner, especially combined together.  My family loves this combination of vegetables covered in buttered bread crumbs [...]

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Green Light, Yellow Light, Red Light

Last week there was a major decision to make with my husband that was plopped in our laps at the last minute.  I am not a last minute person.  I have to pray and have a sense of peace.  Discomfort about a decision gets the best of me because I’m unable to sleep.  It’s as [...]

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To The Moon!

A friend recently sent me a clip from a show that ran from the 1950′s through the 1970′s called the Honeymooners.  It starred Jackie Gleason and Sheila MacRae who played the characters of Ralph and Alice Kramden, a couple living in Brooklyn, NewYork in a small apartment, trying to make ends meet. I watched an [...]

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Romantic Camping?

The weather in Chicago has been beautiful as Fall approaches.  I love the colors this time of the year with the pops of bright yellow, orange, and red dotting the landscape.  And, more than anything, I love the smell of burning leaves, hay rides, and apple cider. When our daughters were young, I would take [...]

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When It’s Your Turn

Part of marriage includes taking care of each other’s parents.   Ten years ago it was my husband’s turn to help me through the illness of my mother and her subsequent death.  This year has been my turn to help my husband. The past thirty days have been a whirlwind of emotional and physical stress, as [...]

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Doesn’t Count

I came across this excellent blog post (so take a read first), then come back here. http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/2009/08/605-having-doesnt-count-list.html The DLC (Doesn’t Count List) really makes you think, doesn’t it? Have you thought about the Doesn’t Count List when it comes to your marriage? It doesn’t count if I look a little longer than I should at [...]

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