Christmas Crazies!
If there is one thing that takes the edge off our Christmas joy, it’s the pressure of the consumer culture to give better, more unique,…
R E A D M O R E →#5 Thoughts Emotions Needs
We’ve already explored how to deepen our communication as a couple but focusing on sharing our interior life, specifically, sharing at the more intimate levels…
R E A D M O R E →Knowing what to love
You can’t love what you don’t know. This saying has profoundly influenced our marriage and our faith. About once a decade we book tickets to…
R E A D M O R E →Defiant Hope
Advent is a season of anticipation. The birth of any child, not least the Messiah, gives us cause for hope. Earlier this week, we heard…
R E A D M O R E →Commitment
In his book, ‘The Power of Commitment‘, Scott Stanley (USA) provides some very useful insights into the nature of commitment. He identifies two types of…
R E A D M O R E →#4 Communication
Communication is one of the key topics that couples say is so important. While most engaged couples believe they are great at communication, many married…
R E A D M O R E →Natural Fertility
True love cannot be contained; it always gives life in some form, bursting forth from the couple with irrepressible urgency. For most couples, this life-giving…
R E A D M O R E →The Growth Mindset
At our daughter’s recent award assembly, the school Principal addressed the topic of ‘Growth Mindset’. She noted how education was more than merely preparing students…
R E A D M O R E →Marriage is not a Partnership
Housework: It’s often a topic of debate among couples, and truth be told, we’ve had our own dramas in this area over the years. We…
R E A D M O R E →#3 Your Family of Origin
Our family of origin is the most influential formation because our early childhood experiences created the foundation through which all other experiences were interpreted. We…
R E A D M O R E →The Family is Holy Ground
October 7 marks the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. How might this feast be relevant to marriage and family life? In 1571, a…
R E A D M O R E →Change Reaction
It’s easy to see how couples get stuck when ‘being right’ has become a habit. Clinging to our ‘right to be right’ is like gangrene in a relationship….
R E A D M O R E →Marriage Lessons from a Dog Trainer
A few months ago, our young Australian Shepherd went to doggie boot camp. Over five weeks she was trained by professional dog-handlers to walk calmly, socialise nicely and keep her…
R E A D M O R E →The Power of Ritual
Routines can be very useful in keeping our lives purposeful and organized. Rituals are like routines with one important difference – they have positive emotional…
R E A D M O R E →