Posts by Francine & Byron Pirola
Four Divorces and a Funeral
If you’re over the age of forty you might recall the 1994 movie “Four Weddings and a Funeral”. While it’s not a particularly memorable movie, the title seems to have an unexpected stickiness to it. Four Divorces and a Funeral – that’s pretty much what our life has been in the past month; a string…
Read MoreHow to fall in love…again
We recently had the joy of attending a presentation by Mike and Alicia Hernon from The Messy Family Project. Among the many pearls of wisdom was the reminder that ‘faking it till we make it’ was a legitimate strategy for strengthening our marriage and ‘falling in love’ with each other again. Mike and Alicia pointed…
Read MoreLittle steps make a big difference
A couple of weeks ago we reflected on a chance encounter with a local restaurant owner while we were grabbing coffee. He had just had their first baby was in shock as new parents. It led us to reflect on the reality, that anything in life worth having required investment; be it work, fitness, children…
Read MoreInvestment in Marriage
Anything worth having is never free. As Francine and I raced around on a typical Saturday afternoon we found ourselves at the local shopping village together. Never one to waste the opportunity to gain a ‘good husband’ brownie point, I declared we should have a ‘coffee date’. Naturally, Francine obliged – she practically never says…
Read MoreOur Many Marriages
People heading towards separation and divorce often tell long-time marriage educators, Byron & Francine Pirola, that they simply aren’t the same person as when they married. Their unspoken reaction to this comment is “I should hope not!” Change is part of life. They explain how to create a marriage that endures through the seasons. Seasons…
Read MoreSleep Deprivation
Sleeping our way to a successful marriage Our granddaughter is three months old. She is pure delight and we are loving being Nonnina and Nonno. Naturally her parents are experiencing the ‘joy’ of extended sleep-deprivation; she is indeed very cute, but not so much at three in the morning. It takes us back. With relief…
Read MoreA marriage of contention
What seems hard in marriage is often doing us good A few weeks ago, we were invited to attend an event featuring Jordan Peterson. Curious to see this Canadian psychologist and academic, who was touring Australia with sell-out audiences, we took up the offer. One of the questions put to him by an audience member,…
Read MoreKicking the Bucket List
Some thirty years ago, before ‘Bucket Lists’ were even a thing, we came across an advertisement for The Maldives in a wedding magazine. We were engaged at the time and we fell in love instantly with the romanticism of white-washed huts on pristine private beaches. Committed to a simple wedding, and even simpler honeymoon (a…
Read MoreMarriage and the Plenary Council
Asking the Right Questions No matter where you live in the world, the Catholic Church is undergoing significant introspection and renewal. In Australia, one of the formal mechanisms is the Plenary Council – a process of national discernment culminating in a gathering of leaders and representatives in 2020. The question posed to the Australian church…
Read MoreFor Marriage and Country
Maybe it’s just us, but it often feels like the world around us is getting more hysterical about things we once would have taken in our stride. A misspoken word, a misplaced or even misinterpreted word in jest, or even a look the wrong way, can set off a storm of outrage – triggered, apparently.…
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