Recently, I asked a few people who have been married more than ten years the following question: "If you could give one piece of advice to couples considering engagement, what would it be?" Here are their answers: Seriously, I think it would be to have Christian counseling first! So many issues can be uncovered in that process from emotional issues to financial issues! I know my spouse and I would have greatly benefited from doing that! Well, of course I agree that quality pre-engagement counseling is the way to go! ~smile~ Before engagement and marriage, a lot of couples simply do not … [Read more...]
Life-Changing Quotes about Marriage (Book Review, Sacred Marriage, Part 2)
Gary Thomas is a deeply talented writer – and, every now and then, he says something profound that makes my hair blow backwards. There are far too many of these quotes in Sacred Marriage. So, for the sake of time (and length of this post), I’ll share three quotes which profoundly impacted me. Love and Repentance If you are married for more than five minutes, you will probably experience a sensation that feels like “falling out of love” with your spouse. Those feelings that cover us from head to toe when we are young and in love do change after marriage. I remember my mom telling me that … [Read more...]
Quotes for the New Year
Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits. ~Author Unknown What do you think this quote means? I’m not positive. Perhaps the author meant that we look forward to the New Year to make resolutions just so we can break them? That’s my most educated guess, so I’m going to go with it. ~smile~ I’ve been guilty of making resolutions that either don’t last or never start. Most years, I don’t make resolutions at all because I’m aware of my track record. If you’ve made New Year’s resolutions this year, I would recommend that you write them down, along with a plan, and … [Read more...]
Every Man is a Quotation from All His Ancestors
This post's title comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson. I saw it and thought it would be a good title for another post of quotes! “You can measure the happiness of a marriage by the number of scars that each partner carries on their tongues, earned from years of biting back angry words.” -- Elizabeth Gilbert, Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage When you are furious, that is the best time not to speak. Take some time away from the situation and breathe, pray, and calm down. After settling down, return to your spouse and rationally work through the problem. You can come back to an … [Read more...]
The Chief Cause of Failure and Unhappiness Is…
One of my favorite quotes is from Zig Ziglar. He said, “The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want right now.” I keep this quote in front of my elliptical trainer because what I want most is to be healthy and raise a family, but what I want right now is to quit exercising. It’s true that anything worth having is worth fighting for. When I was a teenager, I wanted to know that someday I would have a great marriage to a loving, strong man. My heart’s desire was to be married to one man for life. My plan was always to get married after I finished … [Read more...]