Family Values

I Proposed With A Goat (She said yes!)

Exactly 5 years ago I asked Olive to marry me. Rather than popping the question with a diamond ring, I planned to propose to her with a goat. It wasn’t a pet goat for her to keep in the yard and take for walks; it was a goat to give away to a family in need. It was what she wanted, and it’s one of the reasons I wanted to spend the rest of my...

Featured Content

Psst! We’re Not Mind Readers
Psst! We’re Not Mind Readers

We all know that building strong relationships takes ongoing work. We start by prioritizing our relationship(s) and finding time for those who are important to us.  If we neglect to do that life moves along and we can lose touch.   A close relationship is like a dance.  When one person moves, the other one responds.  The dance can go really...

3 Comments »
Countering the Drift
Countering the Drift

Messages in bottles have been the stuff of folklore for centuries. Dying, desperate sailors have hurled them. Curious children have launched them. Nicholas Sparks wrote a novel based on them, but don’t read it—or watch the movie—unless you already have a prescription for antidepressants. The story I find most interesting about such bottles,...

No Comments »
Countering the Relationship Drift
Countering the Relationship Drift

Messages in bottles have been the stuff of folklore for centuries. Dying, desperate sailors have hurled them. Curious children have launched them. Nicholas Sparks wrote a novel based on them, but don’t read it—or watch the movie—unless you already have a prescription for antidepressants. The story I find most interesting about such bottles,...

3 Comments »
The Gift of Time
The Gift of Time

What is one gift that everyone wants? The gift of time. Time is the main ingredient in building lasting relationships. Your time is a gift you can give your spouse every day. My goal for this month is to learn more about my husband. My relationship with my husband is an important one. I’m constantly reminding myself of that and the importance...

No Comments »
The Language of Love
The Language of Love

Who wouldn’t embrace a marriage filled with caresses, passion and everlasting love? Many singles dream of a perfect marriage “made in heaven”, but this idyllic view of marriage is just that -- a dream.  According to research, lust for romance will last an average of two years.  Once the honeymoon period is over, all couples have to...

No Comments »
Loud and Clear: Without Words
Loud and Clear: Without Words

Yesterday, as I was dropping my daughter off at the local high school we had a rather startling conversation about marital commitment. We had been talking about one of her friends whose parents had just separated. The transition had been tough on her friend. Separation, strained living situations and the drama surrounding the family was supplanting...

1 Comment »
Commitment and Faithfulness: Being true to your spouse
Commitment and Faithfulness: Being true to your spouse

Commuting with four carpool buddies offers ample opportunity to chew the fat, so one day I posed the question:  What’s the difference between commitment and faithfulness? After a few rounds of debate the jury was in:  Commitment is our intent to stay in relationship with our wives; faithfulness is the practice of doing so. That said, let’s...

2 Comments »