I know some of you are celebrating Christmas today (me, too!) and some of you are not. I am so grateful for every single one of you, whatever you are doing with this day. Thank you for reading what I have to say about marriage. Thank you for giving me the chance to just maybe bring some extra depth or delight to your marriage. No snow this year, just a cold, sunny day. Like yesterday, when I...
It’s not a Christmas tradition, not a Chanukah tradition, if you are the only one looking forward to it. Why not retire the worn out ones this year and try something new? If everyone looks forward to the new one next December, keep it. If not, keep experimenting. The great traditions are the ones that build excitement in advance and memories to savor after the holiday has passed, and there...
The news media love to declare the end of marriage. Yes, lots more of the over-18 crowd were married back in 1970. Now it is 51% (counting only opposite-sex marriages, per the federal definition of marriage). Should you feel less in the mainstream if you are married? Hardly. Thirty seven percent of Americans over the age of 18 have been married to the same person for at least the last 10 years...
I had this odd idea last night about marriages and pepper mills. Here are three ways your marriage is like a pepper mill: It is always there, easy to take for granted. Our pepper mill sits right next to our salt shaker on our table. We forget how valuable it is. Pepper is so valuable that it spurred development of the Silk Road and world exploration in the late 1400s. It could be used for ransom...
I am looking out my window at a dreary day. The rain has stopped for a bit, but the sun is still hiding. More rain, with flash flood warnings, will arrive very soon. It is easy to feel sad right now. It is also easy to feel warmly loved. And it is my choice. Here are five ways I (and you, if you choose) can switch moods on a day without sunshine. See the good behind the bad. Dreary days are less...
I am a widow who got it right the second time. I have been sharing here since February 14, 2006 what I learned from that experience and from positive psychology, marriage research, and my training as a marriage educator.
