Communication may be a skill of thinking, speaking, and listening, but what happens when someone listens but cannot hear? James and Ashley had a rough first year of marriage, to say the least. They had met during the fall of their senior year of college. Marriage plans progressed quickly after Christmas, and they were married…
All of us have attitudes about money. Most of us have acquired our views of money from our parents. But our culture, the media and our close friends and family members—and especially our former spouse—can also influence us as to how we handle finances. A death or divorce can also cause fear, debt, mistrust, uncertainty…
My husband, Bill, and I have this thing we sometimes say to each other. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it’s one of those habitual, intentional refrains we’ve chiseled into the foundation of our marriage. We don’t write it, we say it… but if we did write it down, and if archeologists were…
“I can fix that,” Ted states. This four-word phrase—stolen from the 2003 film, Holes—is a staple at our house. Much like Texas Pete’s hot sauce and duct tape, Ted keeps it handy. It’s a mantra he’s made his own. And who benefits from it the most? Well, aside from his very fortunate employer, that would…
Before getting married, my idea of camping was sitting in a casual cafe overlooking a lake before returning to a rustic motel. James’ camping experience was quite different. He remembers carrying his tent and food in his backpack and finding a different spot under the stars every night. Yikes! As you can imagine, our first…
