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Diamonds Do Not Equal Love

When I first started at the Marriage Blog I mentioned my feelings on diamond commercials and promised to expound on them. Given that we see many such ads this time of year, it seems like an appropriate time to make my promised follow-up. I’m not a big jewelry person so diamonds never appealed to me. That wouldn’t really be a big deal, except that for my entire life I’ve been inundated by ads and assumptions telling me the opposite. “So what?” you might wonder. Well, the media can have a much more powerful effect, subtle though it might be, on … Continue reading →

Showing Love of Life

How much do you take your marriage and your life for granted? Is it obvious from your attitudes that you are happy in your marriage and that you love life? This was brought home to Mick and I last night as we went to a concert by the Watoto Children’s Choir. For the first time in ten days Mick was able to stand up and walk a little and so we went to the free concert. The Watoto Children’s Choir from Uganda consists of children made orphans through Aids. As they told their stories in between singing and dancing, you … Continue reading →

The Dear Abby from a Distraught Widower

Yesterday Jade sent me an email with this enticing subject line: “Speak now or forever hold your peace.” At first I thought she was sending me some info about people wanting to get married who wouldn’t be able to for very much longer for one reason or another. Maybe because a popular marriage destination was closing or something. (Not that I know of anything like that happening anywhere. That’s just the conclusion I jumped to.) But, oh no, it was nothing innocuous like that. It was a link to Yahoo! News and a Dear Abby column posted there on Sunday … Continue reading →

What I Think About on 9/11

When I think about September 11, 2001, I don’t think of the terrorists. I don’t think about the conspiracy theories floating around out there that our own government is responsible for the attacks. I don’t think about how much it changed our world and how we live in it basically overnight. No, when I think about the events that happened on September 11, 2001, my mind inevitably returns to the cloudy, partly rainy morning at our house in Jacksonville. The phone rang. It was my dad asking if I was watching the news. “No.” “Turn it on. I’ll wait.” “What … Continue reading →

A Marital Nightmare

As you might have surmised by now, I’m keen on dreams. (For examples, see “The Dream: How I Knew Wayne Was the One” and “Do You Ever Dream About Your Spouse’s Family?”.) Here I go again… The Recurring Nightmare It’s never the same dream twice, but the theme is always the same: Wayne leaves me. I hate these dreams. (Nightmares.) It’s not like he just up and leaves and says, “Thanks, it’s been fun, but I’m done with us.” Oh no. In my dreams he’s usually mean about it. There’s usually another woman and right in front of my face … Continue reading →

16 Reasons Why

Do you remember when you first fell in love how you couldn’t stop thinking, dreaming, and talking about the other person? Do you still feel the same way? Have you ever stopped to analyze why you love your spouse or that certain special person in your life? What is it that drew you to that particular person over another? Initially it may be their physical appearance that attracts you. But if the relationship is to be more than simple chemistry, there needs to be more than that. I admit initially I was drawn by Mick’s brown eyes. But obviously there … Continue reading →

Broken Ring, Broken Heart

Could there be anything worse than losing a wedding ring? I’m not sure, but there’s something that’s equally as disturbing: Losing the diamond from your engagement ring. (The real answer is actually: “Plenty!” I found that out the hard way, though. The day after I lost my diamond was D-day.) The Discovery The night before the D-day oncologist appointment, while Wayne hung out with my mom, I took the opportunity to make a run to Target. After that I needed to stop at Publix. It was en route from Target to Publix that I went to scratch an itch on … Continue reading →

Strategies for Working through Rough Times

“Self-interest stimulates behavior.” Wayne Pryor paraphrasing a principle of the Egoism theory. As some of you who are regular readers know, not so very long ago I thought I was facing a marriage crisis. At one point I hit such a low I was ready to throw in the towel entirely. Thankfully I didn’t stay at that point very long. It wasn’t anything I did, per se, to move me from that point. It was more something I had: self-interest. Egoism Back in college Wayne took a class where the principle of Egoism was discussed. In a nutshell, Egoism stipulates … Continue reading →

He Stepped Up When It Mattered Most, Part 1

As I wrote about over in Pets, my mom’s battle with cancer and dementia ended last Thursday when she passed away peacefully in her sleep. I hate that this is my first blog back after my long absence from the Marriage Blog. I have some happier, snappier articles planned for the future, but given the circumstances this one seems most fitting. After all, regular readers know I was at a very low point because of all of this. So low in fact I thought I was facing a marriage crisis. The Crisis Defined But it turned out to be more … Continue reading →

Marriage Week in Review: June 2- June 8

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There have been a wide range of topics discussed in marriage this week. The discussions have gone from prenups to weddings to divorce to enrichment to marriage in the news. Check out below, you are sure to find something that interest you! Monday, June 2 What about Prenuptial Agreements? This article takes a look into some basic information about prenuptial agreements. It also details a little of their history. Pros of Prenuptial Agreements In this article I offer some ways that a prenuptial agreement can have a positive impact on a marriage. Concerns of Prenuptial Agreements Here I take a … Continue reading →