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Verbal Judo – Harmonizing Your Tone of Voice
Some time ago, we wrote about the importance of being aware of the Tone of Voice we use with our spouse. The gist of the post was that our Tone of Voice is the key culprit that begins most disagreements, hurts, and fights between spouses. We want to revisit this important topic and provide some additional helpful hints we’ve learned along the way.
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To Be, or Not To Be…Right?
John For this week’s post, Julie and I thought we would share some insights into an interesting and sometimes puzzling dynamic in our relationship. It all has to do with the idea of “being right.” In the midst of our usually life-giving relationship, the need to “be right” can often get in the way. Worse than that, it can cause breakdowns in our relationship that need to be healed. This is a challenge that we deal with frequently but are striving to manage more effectively.
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Happy Labor Day!
We at The Couples Post celebrate all the hard workers in our country whose effort benefits all of us in so many ways. However you’re celebrating Labor Day, we hope you have a wonderful one and we’ll be back next week with another post.
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Haven’t we had this fight before?
Jen: Life, kids, work and extra-curricular activities suck up so much of our energy each day, that when it comes to interacting with each other, we are often at the end of our rope. When we are having a disagreement we’ve had more than once, I feel worn down and don’t want to deal with it.
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Carefree Timelessness
We first heard about the concept of Carefree Timelessness years ago in a talk given by Matthew Kelly. He defines carefree timelessness as: “Time spent together with nothing to achieve other than the enjoyment of each other’s company.” In Kelly’s book titled, Slowing Down to the Speed of Joy, he writes: “Carefree timelessness is the reason young people fall in love so easily, and lack of carefree timelessness is the reason the rest of us fall out of love so easily. You had plenty of carefree timelessness when you were falling in love. You made it a priority.” Reclaiming What Matters Most We all get busy, but being too busy…
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Experiencing a Sunset: A Daily Inspiration
What is it about a sunset? How is it that this ordinary daily event inspires artists, musicians, and writers throughout the world? If the photo app on our phone is any indication, there surely is something about a sunset. Sitting on a beach together, gazing over the mountains, or simply sitting on our home deck after dinner, sunsets always seem to transport the two of us to a sacred place. Wonder and Awe Karen: We just returned from a vacation with our extended family. Scott and I had the opportunity to watch the sunset with most of our children and grandchildren. After a day filled with action-packed activities,…
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Martha & Mary — 2 Gifts, One Love
We have been reflecting on the Gospel story of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42). What can we learn from this famous (or infamous) encounter? As married couples we have different gifts, but One Love. We want to share our twist on this Gospel, focusing on the gift of One Love.
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Positively Live
Chris: I am a realist. I believe there are good and bad people. My wife is an optimist. She believes there are good people and good people who just make bad choices. Sometimes, her positivity causes me to worry, thinking that her naive outlook will get her hurt. Other times, her positivity is contagious. Here is how she tames my negativity and balances us out as a couple. Michelle: I think there are several easy ways to stay positive. I use the acronym LIVE every day and in every situation to remember to approach with positivity. L is for LOVE. Whether the situation is with Chris, a coworker or a…
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Love Letters from Bellevue
Many of our readers have attended a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Experience and sought to bring the tools home and use them every day. Little did we know, a couple of our readers, Joe and Helen have truly set the bar for making love letters a daily part of their lives. Married for more than 71 years now, we at The Couples Post are blessed and humbled to have heard their story and have this chance to share it with you in this touching video from the Eric’s Heroes feature on KOMO News out of Seattle. We invite you to listen to their story and hope you’re as inspired as we…
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Are We Scrolling by Our Relationship? (Repost)
The convenience our smartphones provide has come at a cost that we all feel. We see it when we’re out in public, with people staring at their phones rather than paying attention to their loved ones. One way of recognizing the problem with this comes from Drs. John and Julie Gottman – identifying how we make “bids” for attention from our partners. Paying attention to our cell phones makes it likely we’ll miss those bids and end up hurting each other.
