As I talk to women in the second half of their lives, I often run into the belief that the most meaningful moments of life are behind them. But what if the most meaningful moments of life are really yet to come? I talk about this in my Empty Nest, Full Life book. This...
If there is one principle I have learned in nearly 40 years of marriage, it’s the principle that love is a choice. It’s a decision. It is not a feeling. Dr. Gary Chapman believes that as well because Love Is a Choice is the name of his newest book. Dr. Gary Chapman is...
Years of mentoring hurting couples and navigating our own hurting relationship have led us to conclude that the number one cause of divorce isn’t money or sex or infidelity or even communication. These are all secondary issues of the deeper issue. They are symptoms of...
Dear mama, Thinking back, I remember the days each of my children joined our family like it was yesterday. The excitement. The fear. The love. The anxiousness. The unknown. I’m sure you do as well. For our biological children, I remember the hospital. I remember...
When Mark and I went through the dark season in our marriage, it’s no surprise that we sought out counseling. However, what most people find surprising is that our counselor focused more on untangling our childhoods than our skills as a couple. That was exactly what...
We love spending time with our grandkids as well as our nieces and nephews. That’s why we plan various outings with them from Grandparents Camp to other small activities. Mark and I can’t get enough of their cute faces and it gives their parents a break. A little...
Welcome to another bonus episode of the No More Perfect Podcast! We love surprising you with extra podcast content that’s super practical and beneficial for your life – it’s our way of saying thank you! Mark is joining me as we dive into the often...
Are you an innie or an outie? We’re not talking bellybuttons here; we are talking about how you deal with clutter. Innies tend to “file,” while outies tend to “pile.” I am naturally an outie, so I tend to pile, and that led to some...
For those of us who are married, we would testify that there are times when marriage is hard. There are ups and downs and challenges that we face while learning how to blend two lives into one. You may often hear Mark and I talk about that in this space. Relationships...
In the past, we have shared about some shifts we have made to our evening routine to feel better connected in our marriage. We thought it’s about time we talk about better connecting in the morning as well! The mornings are such an important part of the day for...
Easter is a really special time for Mark and I in our marriage. If you’ve read our story, you know that Easter Sunday a little over a decade ago was the day that Mark had his own personal resurrection in his life after pursuing an affair. It was the day that he...
I’ve got a question for you: What happens when life hits you hard? Do you crawl inside yourself and hide? Do you throw your hands up and give up? Or do you wipe yourself off and get back up again? In this episode, I am talking about resilience, and to help me do that...
Does it ever feel like your child does more wrong than they do right? As a parent, we know our kids aren’t failures. They can fail a quiz here and there, not win a tournament, and not earn a raise during their first job review, but none of that makes them failures....
Life transitions can be tricky. There are hard changes that we don’t see coming and then there are welcome changes that we also have to navigate. Change in general can bring a flood of conflicting feelings from joy and delight to vulnerability, fear, and anxiety. As...
Boy, do we have a story for you! It’s a story of how God connects the dots and meets needs even when we can’t see how circumstances could ever connect in that way. This summer, Mark and I are going to minister to marriages in Uganda but to tell you how we end up...
