Hello again!

So, it's been awhile since that last blog entry. A lot has happened in the past few months, and we've neglected our baby, The Biz of Marriage.

Dino has been super busy on a few projects, and so I, the other half of this brainchild, must pick up the slack and start contributing to the blog. I hope you will continue checking in and contributing.

I have big shoes to fill. Please be gentle on me :)

So much to catch up on, so much going on in the news. In our home, there's been a lot of discussions with the kids about the show Jon & Kate Plus 8. My kids loved that show, and watched it frequently. For me, watching that show was like witnessing a tragic head-on collision about to happen, while having no power to intercede. Truly a sad story. I have more thoughts on it, but need time to get them out properly.

For now, I wanted to share this little thought of the day.

Being a Team by Dr. Gary Smalley
http://www.smalleyonline.com/articles/truth/beingateam.html

Do you work hard at making sure that your most valuable relationships succeed?

Picture yourself in a rowboat, gliding down the river with your friend or coworker or spouse. Suddenly an argument erupts. You see a shotgun resting in the bottom of the boat, and to make your point, you seize the gun and start blowing holes in the bottom of your little vessel.

You might get your point across—but what happens to the boat? It sinks. And who's in the boat? Your partner … and you. What a fine time you'll have, celebrating your "victory" all the way to the bottom of the river!

Remember this: in any kind of significant relationship, you can't win unless other person also wins. So in your own best interest, you have to make sure that he or she wins. For exactly the same reason, the other person has to make sure that you win. The only alternative is that you both lose.

When you choose to enter into a significant relationship with another person, you're also choosing to become a member of a team. All relationships involve choice. You can choose whether that team is going to succeed or fail. You decide whether it brings you pain or delight. It's your choice.

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Have a great day!

Shannon

Love, American Style

I saw this cartoon today and it made me sad. Initially it's funny, but then I felt bad for all the people who really feel this way about relationships.
It's such a familiar theme in our modern culture; marriage = end of fun & frolic, and the beginning of an arduous, life-long chore that we are destined to bear.

What does it say about our generation, when we live in the best era in history, and yet can't find happiness in one of the most basic forms, relationships?