Thirty Years In: A Reflection on “Soul Mates”

By Jennifer Grant A friend posts a status update, tagging his wife, on Facebook:          A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance, and tenacity. The order varies in any given year. Thanks for 20 YEARS of all the above, my dearest! I think long-married people are less likely […]

Great Expectations — The Real Key to Happily Ever After

By Lisa Wilkes Took the plunge. Ball and chain. Found my soul mate. Happily ever after. You complete me. If you Google euphemisms for marriage, these are some of the phrases that will pop up. With today’s divorce rate nearing 50%, a lasting and fulfilling marriage is often the exception, however, not the rule. So […]

Don’t Divorce — Why Mending Your Marriage Makes Better Sense

By Mike McManus Marriage has fallen on hard times. Half of America’s marriages have ended in divorce since 1975 – a divorce rate that is triple that of Britain or France. Dr. Diane Medved offers answers in a compelling new book, Don’t Divorce: Compelling Arguments for Saving and Revitalizing Your Marriage.  It is must reading for […]

Cohabitation: A Growing Problem

By Mike McManus Cohabiting couples believe they are testing their relationships. According to research, many cohabitating couples believe that if their relationship is not strong, they will break up short of marriage, with no harm done, and that cohabitation will enhance the quality of a future marriage. Sadly, both notions are incorrect. However a growing […]

Save Your Marriage — Don’t Even THINK About Divorce!

By Suzanne Venker What’s your attitude toward marriage as an institution? Is it more traditional in nature, or does it match the culture’s more progressive, cavalier view? Your attitude is the single most important determiner of your success in life. Life will throw you a thousand curve balls. So will marriage. But it isn’t the curve balls […]

Screw Monogamy?

By Michele Weiner-Davis Not So Fast. Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about the fact that monogamy is an outdated, unrealistic and suffocating institution.  “After all,” we’re told, “human beings simply aren’t wired to have only one sexual partner.  It’s unnatural, unworkable, unrealistic.” Additionally, even though it’s natural to be attracted to other people, […]

Thinking of filing for divorce in January? Read this first.

By Greg Griffin I bet you’ve figured out already that this is not the warm fuzzy holiday blog post. There are lots of wonderful heart-warming stories and experiences shared this time of year. Cultures around the world celebrate, decorate, plan parties, buy gifts, and gather with family and friends. Media hypes the feel-good stories of […]

In Praise of the Tenacity of Marriage

By Jennifer Grant At the small, religious college I attended, some girls joked that they were there to earn a “Mrs.” degree. I steered clear of them; their preoccupation with finding husbands seemed not only ridiculous but also pathetic to me. And I had plans. After college, I’d go to grad school, write a novel, […]

She Was My First . . .

By Jason Williams My wife Amanda was determined to save herself for her husband, to give him something special that no other man had ever received.  I was her first, but she was not mine.  That fact has been a source of hurt during our marriage.  For her, it’s the reality of knowing that physical […]

Being A World Class Grandparent

By Chris Gersten I have been a grandparent for nineteen years and am blessed to have nine grandchildren ranging in age from 19 to 4.  Being a good grandparent is a lot easier than being a good parent.  It takes much less work and time and resources.  So I have crafted a set of suggestions […]