Healing Hurts and Reconnecting

One of the lessons that Martha and I have learned over the years is that, to build a strong loving partnership, it’s very important to regularly connect with each other. We are interested in how the other person is doing. We check in with each other, we converse, we plan and we connect. When we […]

Phase 2: We’re Committed!

Phase 2 of a partnership marriage begins when the two of you commit to creating a future together. You take the plunge together, get engaged and commit to getting married. Phase 2 often extends into the first few years of marriage. As you look forward to your wedding day, you must learn to balance your […]

Same-Sex Marriage is a Right Nationwide!

“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would […]

Six Radical Shifts in Marriage

Marriage has been transforming over the last four hundred years. The institution of marriage has changed as a reflection of evolving human ideals and social ideas of society. Specifically, there are six radical shifts that have taken place in the evolution of the marriage since the first Europeans came to America. Civil marriage is invented. […]

Valentine’s Day Planning Kit

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching! Just for fun, I want to provide you with resources that you can use to plan your Valentine’s Day celebration. If  you are looking for that special card, here’s a website I recommend: Valentine’s Day cards from Hallmark Cards If you are looking for a bouquet of flowers that is just […]

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, […]

Featured Couple: Celebrating Valentines Day

Do you remember these candies? I used to love to give them to all my friends in grade school.  I found them at CVS this morning and they immediately became the next featured couple! Happy Valentines Day!

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I am looking forward to being together with family and eating bountifully. As usual, this holiday comes at a very busy time of the year for Martha and me and reminds me just how seldom I give thanks for anything, let alone the wonderful life we have. Martha, I […]

Investing in your Marriage

There is a good deal of research that suggests that couples who are successful in marriage benefit greatly. These couples are happier, are healthier, have longer lives, are wealthier and have better sex lives than couples who divorce or individuals who remain single (Waite & Gallagher, 2000). Investing in your marriage is one of the […]

Connecting to Us Couples Retreat

I am happy to announce that a colleague of mine, Joanie Yanusas, and I are facilitating a couples retreat on the second weekend in October at a peaceful and beautiful venue in Elmira, New York.  Joanie is a certified professional coach and Retreat Leader whom I met at a leadership course several years ago. She […]