When my wonderful friend Gill Othen celebrated her 33rd wedding anniversary in August, she added this comment on Facebook: "It’s funny — very few of my ‘gang’ at Durham have divorced, yet there seem to be very few people my age who haven’t been otherwise." I asked her for a guest post, then I clumsily never noticed it slip into my inbox until now, almost 3...
3 Tips for a Much Happier Marriage
Seems about time to summarize what I learned when my first marriage died. I learned three really key things that help me enormously in my second marriage. They have also helped a lot of other husbands and wives rediscover the best parts of their marriages. When you find yourself distressed by something your mate does or fails to do, Assume Love. When you find yourself needing more than your...
Should I be Mad at My Mate?
A comment I received yesterday on this blog encouraged me to write this. I am so glad she asked! I’ll bet most readers have asked this same question at some point in their marriages. I’m writing this as I need to blow off steam and see if I am right or wrong about getting mad at my husband. I was busy Sunday afternoon catching up with work. My husband and I weren’t planning on...
Marriage Tips from a Long-Married Wife
This is a guest post written for Assume Love by Elizabeth H. Cottrell. My husband and I are about to celebrate our 39th anniversary. In case you haven’t already covered these “secrets,” I share them now: Listen to each other — REALLY listen, and confirm that you’ve heard by saying it back, “So, am I understanding that what you mean is…?” Physical...
Biggest Lesson Learned from 9/11
It was a trending hashtag on Twitter this weekend. My biggest lesson had a lot to do with marriage and family:
@married
Patty Newbold
#biggestlessonlearnedfrom911 Our excuses for not making time for others are lame. We all CAN drop everything to do what matters.