In the summer of 1967, The Beatles released their famous song All You Need is Love. Though this hit song has a few verses, the majority of the song is the chorus. The chorus, sung repeatedly, is sung, “All you need is love. All you need is love. All you need is love... love... love is all you need.” It's a famous and uplifting song, but in the context of marriage, it's simply... a lie. Love is important in marriage, but it's not all you need. In an attempt to sound romantic, and to justify foolish decisions, some couples like to believe if they love each other enough they won't need the … [Read more...]

“She's so mature for her age!” That's what I used to hear all the time from my parent's, and grandparent's, friends. As an only child and a female raised in the South, I was expected to be polite when meeting people. Talking to adults the same way as I would talk to one of my peers was simply unacceptable. So, the result of being tall for my age, and polite, was the common misconception that I was more mature than other girls my age. Let me tell you... it went to my head. After hearing it for a while, I began to believe it wholeheartedly; and, since I was so mature for my age, I thought I … [Read more...]

When I was a teenager, my mom bought me the book Finding the Love of Your Life: Ten Principles for Choosing the Right Marriage Partner by Neil Clark Warren. In the middle of the book, there is a list of fifty helpful marriage similarities. Some of the items on the list are no brainers, such as views about alcohol, smoking, and drugs. However, a few items on the list were things I would not have thought up on my own.... For example, he listed temperature of home during day and night. This is not something commonly mentioned in pre-marital counseling - at least not the counseling which I have … [Read more...]

In the past, I have written posts about beginning your life with the end in mind, but it has never been more real to me than it has been this week. My grandmother, who had a large part in raising my cousins and me, has recently moved into a nursing home. When I went to visit her this past week, I just looked at her tiny space and how her entire life now fits into a very small room. It is quite a mental adjustment for me. When I was a kid, she had a house full of items. At one time, she and Granddaddy had several refrigerators and freezers, all of them full of food. Each room had plenty of … [Read more...]