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May, 2012

• Marriage Moats- Doubly Good Sent Wednesday, May 16, 2012 Marriage Moats Caring for Marriage Doubly Good to You Today is my daughter in law's birthday. Lukas and Amy met at a church retreat playing games. They are still going to church and still playing. Their wedding was a celebration whose focus was on the two great commandments.... love for God and love for their friends. Amy was unconcerned about herself to the point that she was undecided about what she would wear, and took […]
• Marriage Moats- The Bully Sent Tuesday, May 15, 2012 Marriage Moats Caring for Marriage (If you want to hear Lori read this story click)here There is a movie called The Bully that addresses the harmful ways kids treat each other. Bullying can involve persistent messages of ridicule or shame as well as physical assault. Bullying is frightening in its ability to demoralize innocent children, for their weight, or their social awkwardness, their accent or their lack of affluence. I still remember […]
• Marriage Moats- Little Boys Sent Monday, May 14, 2012 Marriage Moats Caring for Marriage (If you want to hear Lori read the story click)here The other day I knew at first bang that the boys at Lunch Bunch were feeling mischievous. They teetered on the fence between tolerable behavior and actions I needed to redirect...potty talk, hurling a plastic truck as a projectile, squishing caterpillars, using my beautiful wool to felt gory victims of battle. I assumed they had been researching ideas in […]
• Marriage Moats- More Free Sent Sunday, May 13, 2012 Marriage Moats Caring for Marriage (If you want to hear Lori read the story click)here quiz Last night our family was sitting on the deck talking about how we wanted to spend this summer. I had opinions, but they were mostly based on what I did not want to do. I was perhaps less positive than I could be but it was a start. It helped me hone in on a direction to point. It can be useful to hear what poor relationship skills sound like. It […]
• Marriage Moats-Better Listening Sent Saturday, May 12, 2012 Marriage Moats Caring for Marriage (If you would like to hear Lori read this story click)here I am currently enrolled in a five month course to better my listening skills. It is called the Stephen's Ministry, and I am enjoying it. Last night we practiced describing the feelings of the person we were partnered with. Several of us felt truly connected after a ten minute exchange. I chose the safe space she offered to speak about something I […]
• Marriage Moats- Answer the Phone Already Sent Friday, May 11, 2012 Marriage Moats Caring for Marriage (If you want to hear Lori read this story click)here Twenty years ago my kids loved to answer the phone. They would race to be the first one there when it rang on the kitchen wall. One time I was reaching to pick it up when my son begged to be allowed to instead. I withdrew my hand and he pounced to grab it. He held it to his mouth. I love you. He was instantly chagrined when the words he meant to say to […]
• Marriage Moats- Candle on the Water Sent Thursday, May 10, 2012 Marriage Moats Caring for Marriage (If you want to hear Lori read this story click)here My mother loved candles. She would light them to celebrate birthdays, or a fancy dinner of tuna casserole with crushed potato chips, or to commemorate a home coming. She made ice candles and fluffy green Christmas trees with sequins, and lit slender red tapers in matched brass holders. There was another kind that seemed magical to me. Mom would float a […]
• Marriage Moats- Prayers of a Child Sent Wednesday, May 9, 2012 Marriage Moats Caring for Marriage The other day I heard a man tell a story about his prayers as a child. A frost had descended on his parents' marriage and refused to melt. They had not spoken to each other in three years. If either of them needed to pass information, they channeled it through the children. Tell your father I am going out tonight. Tell your mother to stop complaining. Every evening the son prayed for them. Lord, […]
• Marriage Moats-Sing a Song Sent Tuesday, May 8, 2012 Marriage Moats Caring for Marriage (If you want to hear Lori read this story click)here I have written a few songs in my day. They were mostly about stories from the Bible. Some of them help children to learn the twelve sons of Israel, or the ten plagues, or the twelve disciples. Learning through music works even better than storing the information in a locked box in your basement, because it is instantly available. One of the songs John and […]
• Marriage Moats- Eden Project Sent Monday, May 7, 2012 Marriage Moats Caring for Marriage (If you want to hear Lori read this story click)here I subscribe to a number of blogs to keep me brimming with ideas about marriage. Today I was delighted to read this on Sasha Dichter's Generosity blog about the director of an enormously successful venture called the Eden Project. Appropriate for marriage, I would say. Adam and Eve were after all the first couple. Tim's Nine Principles of Management for […]

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