Marriage

Marriage · February 11, 2011

Love is… Not Doing Well.

At least that is what a survey of young adults conducted by the Pew Research Center and Time Magazine says. A number of young adults were asked, “Is marriage becoming obsolete?” Nearly four out of ten survey respondents (39%) said that it is. TIME magazine posed this question to registered voters before, in 1978 and only 28% agreed. Apparently, young adults do not believe love is doing well in marriage. Ahh, this makes me sad. The romantic in me wants all true love to end in marriage. The mom in me wants my children to find that person who loves them, commit faithfully to them in marriage and of course, have babies! So I am very excited about a new campaign called LOVE IS… The campaign seeks to take a look at today’s culture and engage it in an understanding of what love is—whether you are dating or married. They offer a place where you can upload your love story, find love/marriage resources and engage in discussion about love. If you believe in love and marriage, get engaged in the LOVE IS campaign! Hmmm, I wonder if I am too old to upload my love story…my kids get kind of …

Marriage · December 31, 2010

Attitude: Is it Killing Your Marriage? (Podcast)

Marriage · November 1, 2010

Where in the World Did I Put My Soulmate?

There is a mild obsession in our culture about having a soulmate. Books are being written about it. Celebrities are gushing about having found it. And divorce papers are being filed because somehow people have lost it. A better question is what in the world is a soulmate? Here is what Dictionary.com says about it: A person with whom one has a strong affinity, shared values and tastes, and often a romantic bond. According to this definition I think I may have had several soulmates in my lifetime. Is that possible? And can a soulmate become unsouled? Because some people seem to find their soulmate and then lose him. Searching for your soulmate doesn’t guarantee a soul-ution for life-long happiness in marriage. Have you guessed where I am going with this? I am frustrated with this fictional excuse to leave your spouse! Here’s an analogy we can appreciate. Can you buy a pair of shoes, wear them for 10 years, and then take them back to the store? Can you demand a different pair because, “These really aren’t the right shoes…” for you? Do you think they would accept that you were really meant to have the new ones in the window instead …

Marriage · October 21, 2010

There is No Perfect Marriage

If you think somebody out there has the perfect marriage – think again. Even the best marriages have their challenging moments. iMOM Ambassador Lauren Dungy offers encouragement to women on what they can do during those times.

Marriage · October 14, 2010

Do-Overs in Marriage

Do you ever say the wrong thing to your husband? We all do! The “do-over option” is a great way to get your relationship back on track after you’ve made a slip.

Marriage · July 8, 2010

I’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.

But I’m going to find it. This is not the first time it’s been lost, we have both lost it from time to time. This time I lost it. I am sure I just misplaced it. It has got to be here somewhere between that college paperwork, sport schedules and report cards. I have excuses for losing it. It’s been such a busy spring. Megan was home for a month then I had to get her off to an internship in Atlanta with Chick-fil-a™. Emily graduated, and we had celebration after celebration amidst finalizing college scholarship decisions. And the boys needed a lot of extra motivation to finish that last quarter without blowing their GPA. To make matters worse, not only did I misplace that lovin’ feeling-I replaced it with a grudging feeling-Why doesn’t he (Mark) help me more? He never notices how pressed I am. I am slammed at work and at home and he wants me to do what? Grudgin’ is a bad feeling, but at the time it feels…good. Today my hunt for that lovin’ feeling becomes a priority. Grudgin’ is out. Mark is going to be in shock! He probably won’t recognize me. I am going …

Marriage · June 29, 2010

Still Holding Hands

I’ve always held my husband’s hand (well almost always, except when I am mad at him). It is just a habit that I did not consciously plan. I do it because I love him. But after a recent conversation with my grown daughter I discovered that holding hands is an accidental habit that has far reaching benefits. My daughter’s boyfriend noticed (read her take below) and commented that he thought it was wonderful that my husband and I were still in love. He said he could tell because we were still affectionate. Then I noticed kids “in love” (I use that term loosely) hang all over each other. Newlyweds hang all over each other. But a lot of married couples my age don’t. When does it stop? Perhaps you stop being affectionate at the age of 40 or after kids or 15 years of marriage. I am sure every couple is different and their reasons for diminished affection equally different. But I hate to think that younger adults look at marriage as the end of love and affection. So now when I hold his hand I get the extra pleasure of knowing that I am sending a message to him …

Marriage · June 11, 2010

Honeymoon Disaster

I thought you would enjoy this story from my friend Lauren Dungy…. What do you remember most about your wedding day? Do the things that went wrong still bring the biggest smiles even now? Did everything go perfectly? Or are the things that didn’t go just right the very things you remember most, and the things that make you laugh even today? Well, my wedding was everything I had hoped it would be. Unfortunately, the journey to our honeymoon destination was not! Tony and I got married in Pittsburgh, but I did not want to spend my wedding night in my hometown. I wanted a romantic evening in an enchanting city, not the Steel City. So after the ceremony and reception, we caught an evening flight to San Francisco. Since there were no direct flights, we arrived pretty late. Then the key broke off in the door of the car that one of Tony’s friends had loaned us. And to top the evening off, the power went out in our hotel. Things were not going as I expected. Now I can look back and smile at our “not what I expected” start. I can also let it remind me about the danger of …