The Gift of Understanding

Being able to listen to each other is fundamental to a loving relationship. In fact, listening is a much more powerful act than speaking. Listening to your partner grants them their self-expression. Your partner will feel enlivened when you listen to them. They will feel validated, seen and heard when you understand what they say. […]

Assessing Partnership in your Marriage

The following is a tool that you and your spouse can use to get a sense of the degree of partnership in different areas of your life.  First, find some time in your calendars to have this conversation. Get together and talk about how you know when your partnership is strong. For instance, you both […]

Increased Divorce Rate Among Baby Boomers

My wife, Martha, and I are baby boomers. Many of our good friends are baby boomers. We are in that cohort of Americans born after World War II between 1946 and 1964. This year the youngest baby boomers are turning 50 years old! The oldest of us are closing in on age 70 years. As […]

Creating “Partnership” Projects

Fall is a time of the year when there is so much to do! Summer is over and there seems to be a billion projects on the horizon: Home improvement projects, landscaping projects, visits with family and friends, health and fitness commitments and so much more. Martha and I often sit down together and put […]

Relaxation, Reflection and Renewal

Martha and I recently returned from a forty-day vacation to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary! We called our trip “Forty for Forty.” We concocted this idea 9 months ago after getting inspired about taking a road trip during the summer. We considered a two-week vacation, but that was too short. I suggested a three-week trip, but […]

The Partnership Marriage is Published!

I am very happy to announce that The Partnership Marriage: Creating the Life You Love…Together has been published and is now available on Amazon!  You can purchase The Partnership Marriage by visiting my new book site, www.thepartnershipmarriagebook.com. Take a look! The last 6 months has been an exciting time for me. I have many, many people to […]

When Your Children Leave Home…

For many couples, raising healthy and happy children is a main purpose of their marriage. When your children leave home, your contribution as parents takes a different form; your initial purpose as parents begins to change. Your role is less active and your advice and support are usually most welcome when it comes at the […]

Connecting to Us, Mining the Gold Tele-seminar

Often we take our most precious asset, our relationship with our partner or spouse, for granted. In our hectic and busy lives it’s easy to forget the nurture the relationship that is most important to us. We long for a deep loving connection with our partner. Attending the Connections to Us, Mining the Gold Tele-seminar […]

Marriage Defined

I looked up the dictionary definition of marriage today. “Marriage is the formal union of a man and a woman, usually recognized by law, by which they become husband and wife.” My next thought was that definition is going to have to change in the coming years. “Marriage is the formal union of two people, […]

“Let’s have a conversation”

In my relationship with my wife, Martha, one of us often says to the other, “Let’s have a conversation about _______________(fill in the blank).  The topic might be money, a home improvement project, a family member, our summer vacation or some issue.  We’ll pull out our calendars and schedule a time to have a conversation. […]