Truth-Telling as an Act of Love
Rob was reaching for another appetizer when he overheard his name in the kitchen. He paused and listened. Jenna was warning a dinner guest that his cooking was “hit or miss.” Some nights he focused and the meal turned out great, she said. Other nights he rushed, forgot ingredients, or picked a bad recipe and pushed through anyway. “Those nights I secretly dump the meal and eat popcorn later,” she confessed Rob said nothing until the guests left. Then he asked her directly. Je
50 minutes ago4 min read
Treasures Old and New: Telling Your Marriage Story
"If you could change just one thing in your lives over the past forty years, what would it be?" one of our daughters asked us on our anniversary. She was surprised at what minor issues we picked, because we've been through some very hard times. "The thing is," Dawna told her, "we learned important things from all those awful experiences. We would be different people, in a different marriage, if we changed them." How do you tell the story of your marriage? How do you connect t
7 days ago3 min read
The Mustard Seed in Your Marriage
Some years ago we listened to a recording by a relationship expert who proposed something we found a little controversial: thank your spouse for doing the things they're supposed to do. Dawna was supposed to that Mark for taking out the garbage when that was a chore he's agreed to do? Mark was supposed to thank Dawna for doing the laundry when that was the chore she'd agreed to do every week? The answer was yes, for two reasons. First, whether it's an agreed upon household ta
Jul 183 min read
