Posts by Francine & Byron Pirola
Myths about Arguments
When it comes to marriage and relationship, there are a lot of myths out there. Here are five of the most common. Myth 1: Good couples don’t argue. The presence or absence of arguments is not a good indicator of the health of a marriage. Some couples who don’t argue are living detached, parallel lives.…
Read MoreWe Married Too Young
Lots of people told us so. Neither of us had really experienced life: Byron at 27 had at least lived out of home for three years. On the other hand, Francine at 21 was still studying, had never had her own bedroom let alone lived independently. From university professors, mentors and friends, she was repeatedly…
Read MoreWhy Two is better than One
One of the more popular posts on the SmartLoving blog features Couple Projects. First published in 2014, our search data over the years shows that its title is a common search theme but the stats really jumped during the pandemic lockdowns of 2020. Faced with spending an unknown amount to time in each other’s company,…
Read MoreHonest Talk about Physical Intimacy – Messy Family Podcast
The sexual intimacy we share as spouses is both wonderful and complicated!
Read MoreSay a little prayer for marriage
In October a few years ago, the Australian bishops called the entire Catholic community to pray for marriage and family. The initiative was joined by around thirty other Christian churches making it the largest ever prayer campaign in the nation. It raises the question: does prayer really make a difference? Cynics might say that a…
Read MoreSomething worth dying for – Saint Valentine’s Day
On February 14 every year, couples around the world celebrate one of the heroes of Catholic history. As the story goes, Valentine was a Roman priest who married young couples in secret despite the decree of Emperor Claudius II forbidding all weddings. The emperor did this to more readily recruit young, unattached men into his armies. Valentine was discovered, arrested and eventually executed. St Valentine didn’t officiate secret weddings simply out of compassion for local, love-struck…
Read MoreJoyfully Married…Sometimes
Advent is a season of penance in preparation for the Lord’s coming; not the first coming which we celebrate on Christmas Day (his birthday), but the second coming at an unknown time. Thus, the readings during this period reference the coming of Christ in glory (“Stay Awake!”) and call for repentance in preparation. In Australia,…
Read MoreThe Names we use Matter
Our second granddaughter finally has a name. Born over a month ago, her parents took their sweet, merry time before committing it to official record. In the interim, this bonny lass (her father is of Irish-Scottish descent) ‘tried on’ a dozen names before the right fit was found. Her name, Theresa Mairead, links her to…
Read MoreNo Jerks Allowed!
Quiz people about the qualities that make a lousy spouse and things emerge like being a liar, secretive, disrespectful, selfish, temper prone, unforgiving. Yet, if we are honest with ourselves, almost of all of us will have been at some stage a little bit selfish, a tad temperamental, a wincey bit disrespectful. According to John…
Read MoreHabit Makers, Habit Breakers
Lately, we’ve slipped into a not-so-good habit. After dinner, and after all the normal stuff is done, we collapse onto the couch in front of the TV. We settle into our various devices – answering emails, prepping for meetings the next day or updating our SmartLoving social media accounts. Before we know it, a couple…
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