It is a beautiful day outside. I should feel more joyful. My bedroom windows are open, and nothing is keeping me from stepping outside and enjoying God’s gorgeous Spring day; but, here I sit. Some days, it is beyond difficult to see the blessings in the mundane tasks of life. Right now my sink of dirty dishes is overwhelming me and I would actually rather climb a mountain than attack that mountain of laundry. I am willing to bare my weary soul today because I know I am not alone, and I want others to realize they are not alone. Some days we struggle. Getting out of bed. Finding … [Read more...]

What little child is not fascinated by a fresh tube of gooey toothpaste? The pliable tube. The way it gushes out in one smooth motion. Even as an adult, there are times squeezing out an entire tube of toothpaste seems incredibly stress reducing. When I was a child, not only did I like squirting out the toothpaste, but I enjoyed eating it. Yum. It was sweet. I think Mom may have made some emphatic point about me not eating it, but who knows. It was tasty, goopy, and fun. So, one time, I waited until Mom was running an errand to feast on the forbidden “treat.” Dad was “watching” me, so I … [Read more...]

One of the joys of being in a loving relationship is having someone there to build you up and breathe courage into your life. Eric has given me pushes I have needed to accomplish several tasks in my life when he could have just as easily discouraged me. Knowing he believes in me goes a long way towards helping me believe in myself. Whether we realize it or not, we have a lot of influence over our significant others and spouses. Sometimes Eric feels like I listen to everyone but him, but it is not true. I listen to his eyes, his facial expressions, his grunts, his actions, and his words. … [Read more...]

Ladies, years from now when you are married and feeling a bit unhappy with your body, you may want to find someone other than your husband to be your “coach” or accountability partner. Eric is a terrific coach. Coaching is what he does and who he is – and he has a passion for helping people leap from where they are to where they want to be. However, we have discovered it is unwise for Eric to be my weight loss coach – it is just too close to home (and creates a dual relationship of husband and coach). Even though I know he would love me at 100lbs or 300lbs, a woman’s weight is an … [Read more...]

Have you ever done something for your significant other simply because you loved him or her, even if it went against your nature or logic? Last night, we had the pleasure of speaking with one of our former client couples who just got married last summer. During our conversation, we briefly discussed a trip the couple had taken together. He is like Eric. He appreciates structure and feels unsettled without it. She is more like me. She does not need to have every detail in place to feel at ease. During their trip, she stopped what she was doing and took care of some travel arrangements … [Read more...]