Birthdays are extremely special days. They mark a day for celebrating the gift of life. It’s a time to reflect on the years gone by and anticipate the ones to come. It’s an opportunity to pause and ponder the significance, importance, and value of life. Birthdays are days of reflection, celebration, love, excitement, and fun
The fourth and final of the Four Horsemen is stonewalling. In his book The Marriage Clinic, Gottman defines stonewalling as occurring "when the listener withdraws from the interaction" (p.46). In other terms, stonewalling is when one person shuts down and closes himself/herself off from the other. It is a lack of responsiveness to your spouse
The third of the Four Horsemen is contempt. Contempt is defined by Gottman in The Marriage Clinic as "any statement or nonverbal behavior that puts oneself on a higher plane than one's partner" (p.45). More simply stated – it's an "I'm better than you" attitude. Contempt is viewed as the most dangerous of the Four
Taking a picture is a great way to celebrate love. Prior to turning on the camera, you usually already know that this is an opportunity for you to capture life with a physical photo. Whether it is celebratory, surprising, or adventurous it is a moment you want to remember and share. Another type of picture
The second of the Four Horsemen is defensiveness. Gottman defines defensiveness in The Marriage Clinic as "any attempt to defend oneself from a perceived attack" (p.44). A more practical definition I like to use is placing the blame on the other person and not accepting personal responsibility. As I mentioned in The Four Horsemen:
When you hear the word “dating,” you probably think of it within the context of pursuing a spouse. Dinner and a movie, small talk, and sorting through the pros and cons of potential lifelong suitors. Dating is not only for single folks looking for a spouse though. In fact, that’s just the beginning. Marriage and
Interview with Tenley Molzahn by Ashley McIlwain Most of us know her as the sweet, fun, and lively girl from the popular television shows, The Bachelor and The Bachelor Pad. Tenley Molzahn captured America’s hearts as she shared her personal journey through heartbreak and healing, all with a contagious smile on her face. She showed
Accessory To Life by Ashley McIlwain It first caught my eye because it was simply beautiful and unique. I really had never seen anything like it, and I had to know more about it. Where did it come from? How could I get one? Who made it? Little did I know that its outer beauty
Falling In And Out Of Love by Mark Gungor Recently I was asked the question: Do you believe it is possible to fall out of love with your spouse—or were you just never in love in the first place? Sorry to disillusion all of you over-romanticized thinkers out there, but my reply is not the
Forgiven to Forgive by Ashley McIlwain It’s easy to get caught up in the commercial side of holidays like Easter. Easter egg hunts, Easter bunny, candy, baskets, and egg coloring contests. All of these things are fun, but they are taking over what Easter is really all about … an incredible story of salvation. Easter
