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Love & Respect
Making generalized statements about men or women can be risky. But there’s one generalization that seems to apply to most of us. A few years ago, we went to a marriage enrichment on the topic of Love & Respect. It was based on a book by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs (“Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs”), a New York Times best seller. The premise of this book is that men (in general) need to be respected, while women (in general) need to feel loved. Disagreeing Respectfully JANINE: Eggerichs points out that when a husband feels disrespected, it could just as well be translated as…
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It Don’t Come Easy
“It don’t come easy” has been an ear-worm for us this year. It has become a positive force for reflection in our lives and journey. Sometimes it is the curve balls from left field that awaken us to the beauty that has been given to us. We only need to reframe the picture.
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In Sickness and in Health… Even During Cold and Flu Season
On our wedding day, we looked deeply into each other’s eyes and promised, among other things, to be true to each other in sickness and in health… all the days of our lives. While the two of us take that vow seriously, we have discovered over the years that it is not always easy. Especially during cold and flu season. Suffice it to say we do not suffer minor illnesses in the same way. Suck It Up Karen: Perhaps you have heard the joke that the closest a woman will ever come to knowing what it is like for a man suffering from a common cold is when she is…
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Just Go To Bed
Chris: As much as we both dislike conflict, we seem to have an uncanny ability to have disagreements at the most inopportune times. Take, for example, the angry conversation we began about money, moments before our friends came over. Or the heated discussion we had about being late to things, that I started because we were driving to church, LATE! And, of course, there have been countless times that we have argued well into the wee hours of the morning, when all we really wanted to do was go to bed. Michelle: At our wedding shower, people wrote cards to me with their sage marriage advice. Card after card offered, “Never go to bed…
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Movie Magic🍿
Many of the couples we know have a favorite movie. It’s usually one you enjoyed together and will pull off the shelf or out of the streaming catalogue once a year or so and revisit. Watching your movie together usually reconnects you to the good feelings and simplicity of the earlier time as well.
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The Super-Power of Affirmation
JULIE: I’m not a superhero. While I can’t fly faster than a speeding bullet, make myself invisible, or read people’s minds, I CAN harness the super-power of affirmation by telling John the numerous reasons he is special to me or the many traits I admire in him. Never underestimate the super-power of affirmation to build up your spouse and enhance your relationship.
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Marriage Role Models
Who are your marriage role models? The number of couples choosing to get married is plummeting. Good solid marriages are less common than they used to be. Maybe YOUR marriage has been a role model for others – or maybe you would like to be. Role Models from Our Childhood Janine: As a kid I was surrounded by solid marriages – my parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents were all in committed marriages. One solid memory that has stuck with me from my childhood was the feeling I had whenever I heard my dad call my mom “Lovey.” When Dad called Mom “Lovey” all was right with the world. His…
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Ahh, Leap Year, 366 Days to Love Your Lover
Happy Valentines Day to Our Readers! Leap Year is a gift! An extra day to Love Your Lover. If you are reading this on Monday, you may be scrambling to find roses that won’t cost a small fortune for Valentine’s Day or find a babysitter for that special dinner. Good Luck! If you are reading this on Saturday morning over a cup of coffee and that fancy Valentine’s date is a warm glow in the rear-view mirror, Read on.
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We Get By With a Little Help From Our Friends
Michelle: When Chris and I met, I had my friends and he had his friends. After we got married, some of my friends became our friends as did some of his. Now, in our more than twenty years together, we have made new friends, most of which we refer to as our friends. Some of our friends have been initiated by him and some have been initiated by me, however, recently, we were hanging out with one of OUR friends. These are friends we met at the same time and just instantly clicked. Chris: We were walking to dinner together, myself by the husband and Michelle standing behind us with…
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Show Me Who Your Friends Are…
Mom frequently told me, “show me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are,” which usually meant, “I don’t like the people you are hanging around with.” Yet we have discovered much wisdom in her words and know firsthand the importance of deep friendships with other married couples. There is much written on the benefits of these friendships: The Benefits of Couple Friends – Prepare/Enrich (prepare-enrich.com). 7 Ways Couple Friends Can Make A Happier Marriage – (salteffect.com). We have come up with a few of our own.
