Love is In the Air

‘Love is the air,’ with TVs, stores, magazines etc all gearing up for Valentine’s Day. Everywhere you turn hearts and flowers dominate the displays. But love is more than just a romantic notion written about by songwriters, poets, novelists and movie script writers. Love can mean different things to different people, but I read a couple of good descriptions of love in a novel I’ve been reading. One was, ‘Allowances must be made for the people we love.’ That’s what Mary Ann was talking about too in her blog about unconditional love. It doesn’t depend on what they do but … Continue reading

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

I think everyone should read Love That Dog by Newbery Medal Sharon Creech. It’s a beautiful book, a marvelous teaching device, and a great way to learn to about choosing words, expressing yourself, and writing. Because I want people to read it I hesitate to tell them that this short children’s novel is written all in poems, and that it might make them cry. Maybe if I tell them it’s only 86 pages long? And that on some pages there are less than twenty words? The book is about a boy named Jack. His teacher, Miss Stretchberry, wants him to … Continue reading

The Marriage Blog Week in Review for February 3-9

Good morning, with just four days left until Valentine’s Day, it’s been a very busy week here at the Marriage Blog. We’ve done our best to compile romantic activities, letters of love from readers to their loves and of course, great romantic pairings and more. Personally, this has been one of my all time favorite weeks ever in the Marriage blog and I have had a tremendously good time with presenting my blogs and reading Sherry’s. We hope you have to! In case you missed any articles this week, here is our Marriage Blog Week in Review: Saturday, February 3 … Continue reading

Letters of Love: Dear Lord

Our relationship with the divine is a profound one and deeply personal. How we express that relationship, that joy and duty that we pursue vigorously or quietly – that is also very personal. Today’s letter is an expression of faith and love for the divine, honoring their belief and their perspective on the relationship they share with the Lord. Dear Lord My Lord, I was inspired to write this letter as I read the letters appearing in this marriage blog. The first letter I wrote to you, I wrote at the age of 5. I remember my mother helped me … Continue reading

Letters of Love: Run; Don’t Walk Home

When you marry someone in the military, it can create a stress for both of you – when you’re both in the military and you’re both deployed in different areas, the situation could seem intolerable for both of you. Today’s letter of love is from someone in just such a relationship. Run; Don’t Walk Home Dear Diane, This might be a hokey way of sending a letter to you, but you have always told me that you like the grand gestures. This month, it’s my turn to be the army wife. I spent two years overseas and now I’m home … Continue reading

Letters of Love: My Parents; My Role Models

As parents, one of our goals is to give our children support, love and a firm grasp of their own self-worth. It’s amazing what a good marriage gives to our children. Children benefit from their parents interactions as a couple. They benefit from the existence of mutual love and respect. They benefit from the kindness and the compassion they witness. They even benefit from the problems that you have as a couple and your efforts to repair your relationship. Today’s letter of love is from an adult child to her father and celebrates the love and respect they taught her. … Continue reading

Letters of Love: Will You Marry Me?

Can you imagine proposing to someone in a letter? If you read our Love Letters: Love & Poets you know that is exactly how Robert Browning proposed to Elizabeth Barrett Browning and today, we are fortunate to feature a proposal in our continuing series, Letters of Love. The proposal was actually sent in a stamped envelope from one state to another. The young lovers met through a mutual friend on a school break and corresponded through email, text messages and snail mail for months with a weekend spent together now and again. Will You Marry Me? Dear Elena, It’s late … Continue reading

Love Letters – Love & Poets

We’ve talked about Valentine’s, the history behind it and how we celebrate it. Now we are going to take a look at great romances in history as a part of our 14 Days of Romance here at the Marriage Blog. I thought it very appropriate that the first romance we look at is between two very popular and beautiful poets from the 19th century, perhaps you’ve heard of them? Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning. The Brownings Their romance was born in January of 1845, when Robert Browning began what would become known as the greatest correspondence of all time. Elizabeth … Continue reading

What Are Secret Marriages?

As you may know, I’ve been working on a series covering marriage laws throughout the 50 United States. Interestingly enough, as I was looking up laws in Michigan, I found out they have had a law on the books since 1897 governing secret marriages. So what is a secret marriage? So glad you asked, because I was curious and went to do some digging. Secret Marriages Secret marriages are just that – a marriage that occurs in secret. They are civil ceremonies that allow a couple to get married without there being an open record of the marriage. Prince Albert … Continue reading