Memory lane is one of my favorite places to wander on. The summer Eric and I graduated from ‘friends’ to ‘more than friends,’ I was in North Carolina with my parents and Eric was working in Virginia. A month before we decided to accelerate our relationship, I finished my bachelor’s degree and was looking forward to a summer at home before moving into my first apartment and starting my Marriage and Family Therapy Master’s degree program. Because I wanted my education paid for, I decided to seek employment at my alma mater so I could take advantage of their education benefits. My first … [Read more...]

Who comes to mind when you daydream about your perfect partner? When I was young, I wanted a Christ-loving, brown-haired, brown-eyed man who could sing and loved the Indianapolis Colts, the UNC Tarheels, and the Atlanta Braves. Maybe my first list was a tad too specific? As I aged, my list matured. I wanted a Christ-loving, (preferably) brown-hair, brown-eyed man who could sing and liked the UNC Tarheels. Who also worked hard, wanted children, and would love me with his heart and soul (as I would also love him). After a few more years passed, the hair and eye color no longer mattered (as … [Read more...]

Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:5-7) My favorite senior citizen quote about love and marriage is from my Great Uncle Willie who said, "Be careful who you marry, because the only thing worse than being lonely… is wishing you were." As an eighteen-year-old dreaming of the day I would find Mr. Right, this quote blessed my soul. Uncle Willie had been happily … [Read more...]

From upstairs, I heard the happy swish of our elliptical trainer pedals. Eric was exercising! Hearing him run made me happy, so I ran down the stairs and jumped into cheer-leading mode. “Go, Eric, go! Go, Eric, go!” In an instant, he whipped his face around and offered me an extremely disapproving look and a stern, “No.” This later sparked a discussion on the type of encouragement he needs and desires. Due to my exuberant mistake, I learned Eric does not need cheer-leading; and, not only that, but he finds enthusiastic cheering demotivating. On that memorable evening, I discovered a quick, … [Read more...]