Anti-Cheating Ring

The wedding ring is a symbol of holy matrimony. It is when a couple makes a vow before God and others that they will be together until death departs them. But it also puts others on notice. It says, “I am taken.” So when someone doesn’t necessarily want others to know they are married, what do they do? They take the ring off. Let’s face it…this is something men are mostly accused of. So what is a woman to do? How about purchasing an “anti-cheating ring”? Thecheeky.com has come up with a $550 ring that comes with a “lifetime guarantee.” … Continue reading

Do You See Your Marriage as a Commitment or a Contract?

This past weekend I attended a two day seminar at my church. It was a program called “Marriage on the Rock.” No, not marriage on the “rocks”…on the ROCK, as in strength and long-lasting. It was a great time of learning more about each other and ending it with a chance to renew your marriage vows. Since we just celebrated 20 years in September, it was quite fitting. One of the lessons that really stuck out to me was the whole idea of commitment. Too often instead of looking at marriage as a commitment, people tend to see it as … Continue reading

The Greatest Love Story

What do you consider to be the greatest love story ever told? I’m sure we might all have different opinions on that. On Thursday night Mick and I and another couple of married friends went to see a production of William Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet. To many people this story of star crossed lovers from warring families is considered to be one of the great love stories. Certainly our local drama company put on an excellent performance which we enjoyed immensely, as we do nearly all their production. We quickly became caught up in the story unfolding before our eyes … Continue reading

Keeping Your Marriage License Safe

Let’s play a game. How many of you know exactly where your marriage license is at this exact moment? No, don’t raise your hands – I can’t see you! Just think about it. Is it framed and hanging on your wall? Behind a plastic page protector in your scrapbook, right across from that glamour shot of you in your bridal gown? Or did it get put in that one drawer where everything ends up when you aren’t sure where to put it? Yes, you do too have one of those drawers. Everyone does, and there’s no point in denying it. … Continue reading

The Other Side of the Picture

I’m convinced that how successful and lasting a marriage is comes back to several things. One is choosing the right person and thinking it through logically and carefully before you embark on marriage. The other is, as Mary Ann suggested, each one’s attitude towards marriage and commitment to it. Now it’s time to spend time apart says reality TV star Heidi Montag. Since I never watch reality TV, I know nothing about this woman or Spencer Pratt, her husband, apart from the article. Mick’s comment when he suggested this was something I might use was, ‘it sounds like the reality … Continue reading

Remember What You Contracted For

When you sign a contract, whether to buy a house or a car or an item on hire purchase there are certain things both parties agree to do. Once the contract is signed, both parties are required buy law to adhere to it. When we get married we also sign a contract. We contract to love, honor and cherish, or obey, depending on the version of your marriage service. We contract that we will keep on loving each other and being committed to each other for better ‘for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health,’ … Continue reading

Essentials for Happy Lasting Marriage

Here are my first five essentials for a happy lasting marriage. Last night as Mick and I played a game of Settlers of Catan, I was thinking about our marriage and thinking about how far we’ve come over our more than 40 years of marriage from that young couple that started out together. So here are a few of my essentials. 1. Love Love is the obvious starting point. But not the wishy washy excuse for love we see on movie and TV screens. And not just lust or chemical attraction which also gets portrayed often but a real concern … Continue reading

Lies Society Has Fed Us about Marriage

Marriage is just a piece of paper. Marriage is a contract. A binding contract. Imagine if you wanted to buy a house or a car or any other major purchase. You need to sign a contract. You make a commitment to it. Marriage is no different in that it is a commitment to one person. That piece of paper is a contract made before witnesses and before God if you are believers that you promise to commit totally to your spouse for your lifetime. It is as binding as any other contract, though unlike some contracts it doesn’t come with … Continue reading

One Father’s Adoption Commitment

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there—adoptive fathers, prospective adoptive fathers, biological fathers, adoptee fathers, birth fathers, grandfathers, uncles—all kinds of fathers! As I’ve mentioned before, sometimes men are reluctant about adopting. But I’ll tell you a funny story about an exception. As I wrote in my blog, Somebody Meant This to Happen, I’d fantasized about adopting since I was a child. When I began dating my husband while we were young college students, he found the idea rather foreign at first (as he admitted to me years later). Nonetheless, by the time he proposed to me he … Continue reading

Gospel Questions: Why Do Mormons Preach Abstinence?

In a world where everything seems to revolve around sex, where sitcoms get their biggest laughs from sexually-related jokes, it seems a little odd to preach abstinence. I mean, kids aren’t going to listen – why not just teach about birth control instead? But as the focus of society shifts more and more to sex, at the same time, more and more voices of reason are stepping forward to talk about the benefits of abstinence. Religious figures are not the only ones to speak out – medical authorities have also talked about it. And more teenagers are listening than we … Continue reading