By Ashley McIlwain The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. –Proverbs 18:21 What we say matters. It matters more than we think. With our words we can build up or tear down. That goes for our spouse, our marriage, our friendships, and our own
By Ashley McIlwain The other day I was having a conversation with someone about how much perspective plays into relationships, conversations, and our general approach to life. We all have a filter that we sift our observations, discussions, and interactions through, which is why no two people see things exactly the same way. That’s also
By Ashley McIlwain Where do we draw the line? Where do we say white meets black in the choices of life? Where does safety end and danger begin? We all face these questions in our lives in nearly every area. When we are dating, these questions often swirl around physical intimacy. How far can we
By Ashley McIlwain My sister, her daughter, and husband came to stay with us over Labor Day weekend. Together, we laughed, played, and made memories along the way. It was so much fun being together. One of the best parts though was having my 3 and ½ year old niece there. Seeing the world through
By Ashley McIlwain If someone were to keep a running list of all of my mistakes and missteps during my life, they would need the world’s largest notebook and a tenacious writing hand. The truth is I screw up all of the time and have since I can remember. Constantly, I battle between what I
By Ashley McIlwain Communication. It’s such a key component to every relationship, and yet, it’s also one of the most challenging. Many couples report problems in their relationship where communication has broken down. The issue is then perpetuated and escalated by the continued breakdown of their ability to converse about it. The inability to communicate
By Steve McIlwain Hubs here. I recently started a new job. It’s been fun getting to know my new co-workers and begin forging new relationships. That means work projects, lunches, doing things outside of work, and just general chic-chat. Typically we’ll discuss our upcoming weekend plans and a recent series of responses caught my attention.
By Ashley McIlwain Inevitably, as a couple, you will make many big decisions during the course of your relationship. From whether to get married, what kind of wedding you’ll have, kids or no kids, how many kids, where to live, when to buy a house, what kind of house to buy, how to handle finances,
By Coleen York “Hey! How are you?” “I’m good! And yourself?” We speak these words most of the time without even really thinking. It’s become a standard greeting, almost as second nature as breathing. I’ve noticed though, that very rarely do we ever take the time to listen, REALLY listen, to what is on the
By Ashley McIlwain Recently I shared a list of things I wish men knew, but now it’s time for some candid girl talk. Ladies, we have some things we need to discuss. When I look around, I see a lot of women pointing the finger at men as the source of all discontentment and issues.
