I always blog on our anniversary. This, I suppose, is obvious, as I am clearly thinking about marriage, our marriage, and the nature of intimate relationships. And I am, as always, grateful for my spouse and our partnership. As I’ve mentioned…
“We will be friends until forever, just you wait and see.” – Winnie the Pooh I did not marry my best friend. Did you? For many of my couples, yes. They happily say they are marrying their best friend. I love that. I think it is likely more common to…
The thick of early-childhood parenting is stressful. At least it was for us. All of a sudden we had this not-so-easy baby/toddler making demands on us while we juggled work and running a house. I know some folks just fly first-class into parenthood….
Everything is hard. That is my mantra these days. I acknowledge that, perhaps, it is not the best mantra. But I am not known among family and friends for being the perpetual ray of sunshine. Instead, I am known for my commitment to speaking the…
I’ve spent the past three weeks amusing myself (and hopefully you) by poking holes in bad marriage advice. Each time, I’ve attempted to present more honest truths about marriage, and wonder more creatively about the marriage relationship….
Oh, hey! It’s my third installment in debunking those pithy, and supposedly helpful, statements we all hear about marriage. So far, I’ve taken “Never go to sleep angry” and “Love conquers all” to task. This week? This one is a piece of work. “Marriage…
I have spent the past few weeks laser-focused on rituals – what they are, why we have them, the whole nine yards. Why? Well, I am teaching a workshop on “non-churchy” rituals for colleagues at Phillips Seminary in Tulsa next week, and I sure want…
When I was in high school, we had to read “A Tale of Two Cities.” Upon completing the book, I was angry. I mean really, really mad. I’d just spent a week reading an entire book only to have **spoiler alert** the hero die at the end. In fact, I was so upset,…
What’s in a name? A lot, actually. Names matter. Owning them, saying them, claiming them, changing them, even discarding them – names matter. In fact, they matter so much that there’s a ritualistic quality about naming things, isn’t…
I hit publish with some apprehension a few weeks ago. I’d been sitting on “When It’s Over” for months, considering the risk of posting about divorce when my life’s work is marriage. But, to be honest, to talk candidly about marriage, we must talk…