Valentine's Day doesn't have to include roses and cards; quirky traditions are even more romantic.
As Cupid's visit approaches couples inevitably feel pressure to make the day unforgettable, but creating a memory can be costly. According to the National Retail Federation the average couple will spend $102.50 making their sweetheart feel special this Valentine's Day—down 17% from last year, but still a good chunk of change. With emotions, expectations and costs running so high, it's no wonder that some people eschew the holiday all together. Often, though, the most significant moments in a relationship come when people stop thinking with their wallets.
The relationship between divorce and Christianity is fraught with tension, faith, and war.
Many Christians are dealing with the conflict between religion and divorce in the same way Henry VIII did, by redefining how they interact approach their faith. "When I sat down and thought about my divorce and my faith," says Dr. Linda Seger, who holds her doctorate in theology from The Graduate Theological Union, "I thought, if it's true that a divorced person can't get remarried, and find happiness after the misery of a marriage, then a bad marriage is the only unforgiveable sin. I could murder someone, serve my time, be forgiven, and start life again and, possibly, find happiness. But this would mean that I couldn't marry someone, divorce him, and then find happiness through love and marriage."
How early do you talk about politics in a new relationship?
During the vice-presidential debate, my normally peaceful relationship with my husband turned into a Soviet-era showdown. We both sat icily on opposite sides of the couch, and when I snorted at Sarah Palin's winking he glared at me. When he mumbled "lies" under his breath while Joe Biden was talking, I chucked a pillow at his head.
An iron curtain has descended in relationships across the country—on one side lie McCain supporters and on the other side Obama backers. With a looming economic crisis, two wars, a crumbling health care system and the future of energy in the balance, this election has captivated our nation. Voter registration is at an all time high and pundits expect turnout to be even greater. But the cost of this intense political passion is often our relationships. Politics can highlight fundamental differences or similarities in values and character and how these issues are handled can either make or break a relationship, so when is the right time to introduce them into your relationship without destroying it?
Learning what it really means to support a husband.
After her father-in-law dies of cancer and her sisters are in a car accident, one woman and her husband learn that sometimes supporting your spouse means being truly selfless and to get through the hard times you have to focus on what's important: " Support in a marriage is not a nice 50/50 split. Some days you are giving your all while your spouse is giving nothing and other days you are taking, offering nothing. After that night I tried to support Dave wholly—giving without taking. It was hard, but I never felt resentment. I knew that soon it would be my turn to give zero. And it was."
Where do you turn when therapy fails to fix your relationship?
At the age of 42 with two children in elementary school, Mary Ann Lowry was diagnosed with a chronic pain condition. Lowry explains her husband had a hard time coming to terms with her illness. "He frequently used verbal abuse to try to convince me to be healthy," she says. "The therapists tried to help him see that sickness, death, pain…are part of life. He couldn't come to terms with my physical limitations and despite their best efforts the therapists weren't able to break through the hard core resistance to accepting my health situation. When I finally had to leave work and go out on full disability, he was not able to support the decision."
Despite the money, time and effort spent in counseling trying to work on their marriage, it failed. Lowry and her husband went to individual and couples counseling on and off for 11 years and still the marriage ended.
Men and women might not be that different after all.
Forget everything you think about men and women. Dr. Janet Hyde argues that the sexes really aren't that different after all. From nurturing, communication and sympathy some researchers believe that all of this Mars and Venus stuff should go the way of Pluto: "People think that they can’t communicate across gender in heterosexual couples and this is a problem. But in fact communication styles are quite similar and men and women communicate quite well all the time. Sometimes when I give talks to big audiences, after talking for about 20 minutes, I say are you understanding me and of course they are. I am speaking perfect English."
