Posts by Francine & Byron Pirola
Five Myths About Marriage
Is marriage outdated? Here are five myths about marriage that may surprise you. Marriage gets a pretty bad rap these days. Celebrity bust-ups, high profile infidelity and a cohabitation takeover seem destined to put marriage into retirement. If it’s not already dead, it’s fast heading for extinction. Or so you might think. The truth is, despite…
Read MoreMercy
Central to the experience of God’s mercy is the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which, with the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, is a specific sacrament for healing and mercy. Sam Guzeman and Linda Lochtefeld offer their powerful experiences of God’s mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Connie Rossini suggests some other ways we can celebrate…
Read MoreThe Stick Kit
It’s not always easy to stick together! When relationships come under stress, its tempting to give up, give in or walk away. Whether its a marriage or parent-child relationship, you can find the support you need to transform your relationships into thriving, healthy interactions at The Stick Kit – online, anytime, anywhere. Here, Philipa Caulfield, project…
Read MoreBreakThrough Strategy – TaNGo
Do you feel stuck in your relationship? Going nowhere? Frustrated and hurt by your spouse’s behavior? Read on to learn about TaNGo, a powerful strategy from the BreakThrough workshop. For additional notes, visit the slide show at http://www.haikudeck.com/p/vT9bK4GbW4/breakthrough# Breakthrough – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires To find out more about the BreakThrough…
Read MoreSt Valentines Day 2016 Resource
Him & Her – The Joy of Difference The Australian Catholic Marriage & Family Council has released its 2016 St Valentine’s Day handout, this time exploring sexual complementarity. From the ACMFC website: In 2010, the Bishops Commission for Pastoral Life launched the St Valentine’s Day initiative. We are delighted to offer you our 2016 edition…
Read MoreThe Marriage Myth
Part 5 in the Quest for Happiness Series Too many times have we heard the complaint – “I’m just not happy in this marriage anymore”. For couples today, personal happiness has become the measure of whether a marriage is ‘working’. The mass media and our romantic fantasies conspire to convince us that we have a…
Read MoreWhat is Happiness Anyway?
Part 4 in the Quest for Happiness Series Speaking of what makes a wife or husband happy (see SmartLoving The Equality Myth, What Women Really Want & What do Men Want?) perhaps we should look at what happiness is and more importantly, whether it really is the ultimate goal. ‘Happiness’ should be distinguished from ‘joy’.…
Read MoreWhat Do Men Want?
Part 3 in the Quest for Happiness Series In all the discussions about what makes a wife happy (see Smart Loving What Women Really Want & The Equality Myth), it strikes us that the happiness of husbands is often overlooked. Actually, it’s rarely on the agenda. That in itself says something about us as a…
Read MoreWhat Women Really Want
Part 2 of the Quest for Happiness Series If equality in work isn’t the answer for making happy wives (see Smart Loving, The Equality Myth), what is? According to the same study that looked at the division of labour*, the best predictor of marital satisfaction among wives was emotional connection. ‘Emotion work’, as psychologists call…
Read MoreThe Equality Myth
Part 1 of the Quest for Happiness Series Inequality in the division of labour at home has long been a sore point for married women. In theory, the egalitarian model of the modern dual-income, shared-homemaking marriage should solve this problem; as women move into the paid workforce, men would assume more responsibility at home.Right? This…
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