Tag Archives: marriage tips

Divorce: A Bad Word

I will never forget when my children were younger and a neighbor child rang my doorbell to inform me that my son (who was about 7 years old at the time) had said a “bad” word.  “Really?” I responded.  “What did he say?” You could tell this kid was proud of himself, sure that after he told me, my son would be getting into some really big trouble.  Loudly he declared, “He said,” but then he barely whispered, “hell.”  I had to bend over to hear the word. Well as it turned out my son was apparently relaying a message … Continue reading →

Lucky in Love? No Such Thing

Is there such a thing as to be lucky in love?  When it comes to marriage, there really is no such thing as luck.  If you know a couple (or perhaps you are that couple) where it seems like they have it all together…trust me, it is not luck.  It is hard work. A good marriage isn’t built in luck, on chance.  It takes three key ingredients:  dedication, selflessness and commitment.  Let me be the first to tell you that none of these are easy to do. Dedication and commitment might sound the same but they really are different.  Dedication … Continue reading →

Building a Marriage on Dependency and Independence

I was recently reading an article that stated the key to a happy marriage was living separate lives.  That this is how you feel validated as an individual. What’s interesting about this is that in order to feel validated, you need to feel important and acknowledged.  That generally doesn’t come from within.  Sure, it should be a part of feeling validated as a person.  But since we are humans, we crave receiving this from others. Isn’t that where a spouse comes in? Don’t get me wrong.  I am not saying that you need to be so dependent on your mate … Continue reading →

Commonsense Ways to a Happier Marriage

You will often hear about “secrets” to a happy marriage.  Personally, I don’t believe there is anything secret about having a happy marriage. Most of what it takes is well known.  In other words, we know what to do to have a happier marriage.  The key is choosing to do those things. So instead, let’s look at some old-fashioned commonsense ways to keep the marriage happy.  We start with the understanding that your spouse will never be perfect. Now most of us probably don’t really think that our spouse should be perfect.  Yet we place expectations that are oftentimes unrealistic.  … Continue reading →

Marriage Is a Gem

If you could describe the whole of marriage, how would you do that?  I think I would describe it as a gem, one that is meant to be polished and taken care of. But I would also describe it as having imperfections.  Nothing in this world is really perfect, is it?  You look close enough; you can usually find a flaw.  The same is true in marriage. Yet when you take a step back, looking past the imperfections and flaws, you see nothing but a beautiful treasure.  Women oftentimes will hold their hand at a distance, as they admire the … Continue reading →

Stay-at-Home Moms More Likely to Divorce?

I heard something interesting on the John Tesh radio show the other day.  He said that a study found there was a higher chance of divorce when moms stay home with the kids and dads work. He actually said it was fact.  Now, I was not able to verify the findings of this.  I didn’t spend a whole lot of time researching but the little bit I did…well, I didn’t find this study he was apparently referring to. I have quite a bit of apprehension about this.  Maybe I’m just partial since I was a stay-at-home mom.  But one of … Continue reading →

Playing the Supporting Role

Recently a young woman I know did several things that impressed me in her marriage, so I thought I’d share them with you. Just because someone hasn’t been married very long, doesn’t say all of us can’t pick up tips from the way their marriage works. The first thing was she supports her husband in the work he is doing. He had to give an important talk to a large number of people. Even though she had a heap of things needing to be done over the next few days, she decided this was more important as it was happening … Continue reading →

Marriage Tips From Two Long Lasting Marriages

I admit it I’m a romantic. Always have been and I guess always will be. So I love it when I come across real life romance stories, and to me there’s nothing more romantic than a couple who has been married for a long time and is still in love and married to each other. Today two couples share with us the secret of a happy, lasting marriage. Both couples have recently celebrated their 60 year wedding anniversary. You don’t get to celebrate a diamond wedding anniversary without having learned a few things along the way. First there is Jack … Continue reading →

Take the Positive Marriage Challenge!

Would you like to improve your marriage and get into the habit of nurturing it? It is pretty easy to do. Why not take the following positive marriage challenge? You can do this alone or with your spouse (even better). Nobody is perfect, and although we may understand how to nurture our marriages, that doesn’t mean that we always do it. This challenge will make you more aware of certain positive things that you can do every day. Here we go! 1. Compliment more than you criticize. It is easy sometimes to let a criticism or complaint slip out. Maybe … Continue reading →

The Basic Tools of Marriage

Most of the time, when people enter into a marriage, they have no idea what they are in for. They focus so much energy on the ceremony itself or the idea of being married that they forget about actually being prepared for the marriage itself. Months or years later, things can change and start to break down. Fortunately, with the proper marriage tools, repairs can be made. So what are the basic tools of marriage? Well, love, certainly. Love is the bond that brings you together and can hold you together. When things get tough, you can rely on that … Continue reading →