By Ashley McIlwain Growing up, birthdays were always a pretty big deal in my home. If you were the birthday girl, it was all about you that day. As a kid that meant simple yet special privileges like getting to answer the phone the entire day, being the one to get the mail, and no
By Dr. Jeff Klick God made me male, and I am very glad about it. Is that shocking? Can we men still say that in our day? Oh well, I did say it, or at least wrote it. God made me a man, and I am very thankful. In our current environment, to say such
By Ashley McIlwain There’s just something special about summertime. It energizes and invigorates. It excites, and it awakens. It warms the body and the soul. Its sunshine seems to penetrate every part of our being with its golden glow. Yup, there’s just something special about summertime. If you feel the same way about summer as
By Ashley McIlwain At every corner there lurks danger. The potential for problems and conflict seem to pepper the future of our marriage like a field of landmines. One misstep and everything blows up in front of us. It can seem that there’s no winning at times when it comes to our marriage. This may
By Steve McIlwain Hubs here. The car was full. Our bags were packed. 3,000 miles of road lay ahead of us. Ash and I had just made one of the biggest decisions of our lives, and the future stretched out to the horizon. Since we first got married, Ash and I had discussed where we
By Erin Hensche Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Well, at least that’s what the old adage says. But is there any validity to that statement? If you had asked me that question at the beginning of mine or my husband’s aviation career, the answer would have been a resounding no. After a few years
By Ashley McIlwain As human beings we gravitate toward routine. Toward comfort. We like to be in control, and we like to have things figured out. Most of us avoid change like the plague and find safety within the boundaries of regular and familiar. It’s not that this is a bad thing. Routine creates efficiency.
By Ashley McIlwain When I look around me, I realize how blessed I am with inspirational, successful marriages. My parents just celebrated their 37th anniversary. My sister and her husband their 11th. My husband, Steve’s, parents just celebrated 42 years. Just last month our board members, Greg and Rosemary, hit the 40 year mark. Steve’s
By Ricinda Perry I’m so blessed. The past couple of months have brought about a number of celebrations in our home … Mother’s Day, my birthday, our anniversary and Father’s Day. What stood out the most to me was the genuine outpouring of love from my daughter and husband. Stephen set the tone for a
By Ashley McIlwain I feel like everywhere I turn someone is attacking or doubting the validity, significance, benefits, and splendor of marriage. It grieves my heart because marriage rocks. It really does, and I think a lot of why we’ve lost our sense of appreciation for it is because we’ve screwed it up so badly.
