GPS to a Joyful Marriage

Death is a part of our lives that can be difficult to grasp when someone dies, especially if they are young and have a full life yet to live.  As we celebrate Memorial Day, it occurs to me that most of the soldiers that died for our country were probably under the age of thirty - some even younger than twenty.  We don’t think about that fact unless we personally know someone who died in combat.  I have deep respect and admiration for any young person who signs up to be part of the military, especially in these days where soldiers now do numerous tours in the Middle East early in their military career. It’s always shocking when a young person dies.  We are forced to put life into perspective when we are faced with its fragility.  My daughter and her husband lost a dear friend yesterday.  He and his wife and young son were at their wedding less than two weeks ago.  We celebrated the wife’s newly discovered pregnancy as she styled everyone’s hair...

After an amazing week at the beach which included my baby girl’s wedding, I’m afraid I’m still flying high and can talk of nothing else.  What a perfect build-up to a wedding: four days at a beach resort with nothing but beautiful weather and wedding guests filtering in every day.  Rick and I decided this must be what heaven is like – spending the days and evenings, outside in impeccable weather, waiting for your closest family and friends to arrive. We’d welcome them with shouts of, “Yay!  You’re here!” as we pulled up a chair for them to join us. The highlight of the week, of course, was the wedding.  The rain didn’t cloud up our joy, and it brought cooler temperatures - perfect for makeup and fancy dresses. (I was actually grateful we didn’t have to walk out in the sand.)  We held the ceremony under a breezeway situated by the beach with a full view of the ocean.  The weather cleared up enough after the ceremony for pictures on the beach.  What...

I'm at a resort in St. Pete preparing for my daughter's wedding tomorrow, and vacationing with dear family and friends.  Enjoy your week!  I will get back to my writing next week!  God bless you all!

I spent the last four days in California with a group of amazing, Godly women.  It made me realize that I need to spend more time with other women of faith.  What an inspiring and uplifting time I had! Ladies, we need girlfriend time.  Not just with any woman, but a positive, God-loving, build-you- up kind of person. We need them to encourage us, to listen to us, to realize we are not the only ones facing trials in this life, and to see that we are not alone in our sometimes difficult journey to achieve a healthy marriage.  No matter how much we love our husbands and how kind and wonderful they might be, there is still a part of women that can only be fed by the similar thinking of other females.  Men don’t seem to have a need quite like this and struggle in trying to fill that need for us.  Football, baseball, remote controls and dinner seem to be the extent of their emotional needs (oh, and of course, sex.) [As usual, there are always exceptions to...