“Violation” is not a word that we use frequently (unless we spend lots of time in traffic court for speeding), but it is one we feel often. Someone ignores or disrespects us, they take something of ours that doesn’t belong to them, they disregard our feelings, and the list goes on and on. When these…
Want to be in better health? Most of us would answer “yes” to that question. Then you might like to know that your marriage just might be the ticket you have been looking for. In a study conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, over 127,000 people were surveyed. Findings from this study revealed…
Conflict, fights, arguments, disagreements – these are all words that make us want to go hide. As I sit with couples on a daily basis, I listen to the creative ways that each party escapes in order to avoid all of those above words. While there may be something that is bothering them, they will…
You’re steamed – your fists are clinched as you grit your teeth – your face is flushed as you yell – you slam your hand down on the table or perhaps punch a wall. These examples are the looks of anger that is getting out of control. King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 29:11, “Fools give…
“Safety” is a word that we feel more than we speak, when it comes to our significant relationships. We also frequently feel unsafe, not necessarily physically but perhaps emotionally. We all want to feel safe. However, we may go about achieving that safety in some very creative ways. Like Earl, in the cartoon above, I…
I was intrigued recently as I heard a speaker use this word “nevertheless.” It is not a word that we hear much now days. Probably more popular alternatives are words like – “yet,” “therefore,” or “even so.” But “nevertheless” was such an appropriate word in the context in which he used it. As I listened,…
For those of you who are married or who aren’t interested in online dating – don’t tune out just yet. There might be something in here for you or a friend. Twenty years ago, no one had heard of online dating. We were all still meeting people the old fashioned way – face to face. …
There is a story told that “Following a parade, the mayor of a large American city was walking with his wife when they passed a man sweeping the streets. The wife recognized the street sweeper as one of her old high school boyfriends. The three had a short conversation before the mayor and his wife…
I know couples who seem to fight all the time. Some are always on the verge of walking out, while others would label their marriage as very happy. What is the difference? It may be in how we approach conflict. Unless we are exactly like the person we are in a relationship with (in which…
For many, getting married was going to be the ultimate lifelong bliss that each and longed for. We were going to be different from all of those other couples who seemed to fight and struggle with problems. We had found the one who would make us happy and we would not experience the difficulties that…