Interviewing all these couples happily married 30, 40, 50 years, and seeing the love and appreciation they have for each other, reminds me of a story I heard long ago. 

There was a woman who decided she wanted to sell her home.  It wasn’t large enough, yard was too small, the dark wood floors made it look dated and the tree out front kept dropping sap.  The community was too old and she desired something more upscale. 

When the realtor brought over the one-sheet he’d created to advertise the home, she began reviewing it with amazement.  She was able to see her home through the photo lens of a professional photographer and to read its description:

“Quaint 1920 craftsman bungalow on pristine street with vaulted ceilings and original moldings.  Open dining room perfect for welcoming family and friends for dinner cooked in your vintage kitchen that includes appliances restored with great precision.  Nestled on a sunny corner lot ensures light will radiate throughout your home, showing off the rich walnut wood floors and period details throughout.”

“Immaculately landscaped backyard requires minimal upkeep and the 100-year old oak tree in the front yard is the toast of the neighborhood.   This established community bears no other “for sale” signs because it’s one of the most desirable places to live.  Once you move here, you too, will never want to leave.”

After reading the advertisement, she told the realtor, “I don’t want to sell my home anymore.  Now that I see it for what it really is, I realize this is my dream home.”

This is the way so many of us are with marriage.  Those who fail to invest in the love they have, nurture and cherish it, will never see its true value.  Thinking about this more and more, I did an excercise I’ve never done before but found beneficial.  Pretending Keith and I were just friends, I created a make believe advertisement looking for his wife:   

“Kind, gentle and loving man seeks woman who he can love and cherish for the rest of her life.  He desires she be unique and independent, in love with life, and confident.  He has no desire to change her; just to love her exactly as she is.  He will give all he has in exchange for complete love, devotion, honesty, and a friendship that makes him long to come home at the end of each day.”  

“No nagging or complaining please.  And appreciation for life and a gratefulness for everything you already have is a must.  He loves to cook and is usually tidy, and is happy to help around the house, as he recognizes it is also his home.”

Just writing this down reminds me of how fortunate I am to have a man who loves me and I love and adore in return.  Give this exercise a try and fall in love with your husband all over again…and again…and again.

Question: What are your husbands greatest qualities and attributes?  If you were to do an exercise like the one I did above, how would it read?  Feel free to have a very long list.  

If you’re happily married and haven’t taken the time to join the Club, make sure to join us today.  It takes only seconds and, of course, it’s completely free.  Until Monday…make it a great weekend!

Comments: With more than 46,000 Happy Wives Club members already actively engaged on our Facebook page, what better place to share your thoughts? Join me there and let’s continue the conversation: Happy Wives Club Facebook

While in Croatia a few weeks ago (continuing in search of the secret to a happy marriage) my friend Mia took me to the place that last year won the European Award for Most Innovative Museum, the Museum of Broken Relationships.  Yes, that really does exist. 

The two people who started the travelling exhibition -which has now become a museum- were once a couple and during their breakup couldn’t figure out what to do with all the stuff they accumulated, so they put all the objects together and then asked friends what they should do with them.

Upon entering the museum, I’m amazed first that so many people would be willing to share such a personal story with strangers.  But I guess most writers, like myself, do the same.  An axe hanging on the wall tells the story of its owner, a woman who used it to chop up 25 pieces of furniture while her ex was on vacation. 

Teddy bears, shaving kits, old wedding dresses, pink furry handcuffs, all mementos of a love gone wrong.  Along with each item on display is an accompanying story the submitter wrote about their broken relationship.  Some of them were still clearly in love, some incredibly bitter, and some which seemed wholly inappropriate for public consumption.  But the concept makes sense.

There are few people in this world, if any, who haven’t experienced a broken heart.  And what do you do with the things remaining from that relationship?  Now there’s a place.  I felt bad for those who were clearly the object of someone’s venom when I read many of these stories.  “Oh, this one’s still bitter,” Mia said when pointing at one she thought I should read.

Story after story and memento after memento, I couldn’t help but feel grateful about the love I have and reflect on the fortuitous nature of it all.  Marriages do not stay together by happenstance, they require daily action. 

Love is like a home, built one brick at a time, to sustain even through times of storm.  For every daily act of kindness, respect, trust and selflessness, more bricks are added to ensure protection during challenging times.  When you wisely build your home, the storms of life cannot destroy it.  Your love -that home- will not be moved.

Question: What little things can you do daily to continue nurturing your relationship and ensuring your marriage will be built to last?

If you’re happily married and haven’t taken the time to join the Club, make sure to join us today.  It takes only seconds and, of course, it’s completely free.  Until Monday…make it a great weekend!

Comments: With nearly 46,000 Happy Wives Club members already actively engaged on our Facebook page, what better place to share your thoughts? Join me there and let’s continue the conversation: Happy Wives Club Facebook

A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting with a group of HWC members in the Manila area.  It was certainly one of my highlights on this trip around the world in search of the secret to a happy marriage.  Ten of us enjoyed tea and banana bread while sitting around a table and talking about love, family and marriage.  

I quickly fell in love with the Filipino culture, their kindness, gratefulness for everything they have, and their love for life and people.  I left the Philippines wishing I could have just a few more days there.  But just a couple days after I departed, Typhoon Saola plowed through the area and of this morning, more than 2 million people have been affected by the rains and floods.   

One of the hardest hit (and most densely populated) areas was Metro Manila, and the area where the ladies and I met for our get together was completely flooded.  As soon as I contacted them to see how they were doing, none of them cared much about themselves but just wanted to know how they could help others members of the Club -and community- in need.  

I looked for an organization already on the ground and assisting those most in need and came across the Red Cross Philippines chapter.  Their volunteers have already rescued more than 7,500 people and they’ve assisted in the evacuation of more than 200,000 families (and fed hot meals to nearly as many).  They’ve provided generators to local hospitals to ensure they can continue operating and have set up more than 560 evacuation centers across the area.

Please join me in helping our members in the Philippines and their fellow residents.  You can make your donation directly to the Red Cross by clicking here.  To make life a little easier for you, I’ll share a couple things I learned while donating: 1) Click the PayPal link whether or not you’ll be donating using PayPal; and 2) All monies donated are in PHP (Philippine Pesos) so you’ll want to use an online money converter to determine how much your donation equates to in PHP.  For instance, $50 USD is the equivalent of more than 2,000 PHP because the conversion rate is 41.75-to-1.

The reason I say this is a rare chance to make a difference is many of those you will be helping will actually be connected to this Club through family and friends.  And although many have been displaced, the damage done through this typhoon can be remedied much faster than the typhoon and flood that enveloped this region last year.  

Our thoughts and prayers are with our beautiful Filipina members, their families, friends and community.  Until tomorrow…make it a great one!

Comments: With more than 45,000 Happy Wives Club members already actively engaged on our Facebook page, what better place to share your thoughts? Join me there and let’s continue the conversation: Happy Wives Club Facebook

Zagreb, Croatia, a city so unapologetically, Croatian.  In every city I’ve travelled to around the world, even those I visited prior to this journey, there is a bit of English, French or American culture.  The street signs are in English, menus at restaurants are in English, the hotel staff all speak fluent English.  Not so in Zagreb. 

Walking through the city center, you can spot a Croatian anywhere.  They speak Croatian, look Croatian and walk Croatian.  They have a confidence that exudes from their inner core. 

Maybe it’s because they fought for their independence for so long, resisting influences of neighboring powers like Austria and Hungary, and seceded from Yugoslavia a little more than twenty years ago. 

Maybe it’s because at one point they were once divided into three states, each claimed by a different empire.  They are a war torn country, something you can see in the wear and tear of some of the buildings. 

In the city center, I can immediately tell who is Croatian and who is a foreigner.  Not because the foreigners are reading maps or look confused as to where they are, they just come across as a bit tentative.  Those with American or British-influenced countries tend to have that tentativeness about them.  But the Croatians walk with their heads held high and chests stuck out. 

In Croatia, I was escorted around the office of the President by his security (and was allowed to sit in his dinner chair), visited the critically-acclaimed Museum of Broken Relationships, interviewed a happily married woman -who was a knockout and could have been a model- but instead was an arms dealer for he Swedes, and I spent several hours sipping on cappuccino while getting tips from a happily married businesswoman and mother of two (one of the first I interviewed who is my age, mid-thirties).

I truly enjoyed my time in this country and can’t wait to share my experiences with you.  Join me tomorrow and we’ll start by talking about this museum that won the Most Innovative Museum in Europe award in 2011.  There’s alot to learn in that place about what to do –and what not to do- in creating a marriage that is built to last.

Question: What is your favorite city or country you’ve visited in the world?  What makes that place so special?

If you’re happily married and haven’t taken the time to join the Club, make sure to join us today.  It takes only seconds and, of course, it’s completely free.  Until tomorrow…make it a great day!

Comments: With more than 45,000 Happy Wives Club members already actively engaged on our Facebook page, what better place to share your thoughts? Join me there and let’s continue the conversation: Happy Wives Club Facebook

My former American –who now sounds fully British- friend, Elicia, I told you about yesterday had another keen observation when she and her fiance met us for dinner in London.  After she told us all about their wedding plans, we began chatting about post-wedding expectations.

She talked about how frustrating it was to hear all the negative comments and advice people have shared with her regarding marriage.  “It’s so irritating!” she said animatedly.  I understood exactly what she meant.  I went through this, as well as every other married person I know. 

Without even realizing it, Elicia began looking for some of the things people said would begin to happen.  Yep, I can relate to that, as well.  I did that momentarily in my early years of marriage before bopping myself upside the head (figuratively, of course).

We talked about how so many people have challenges in their initial years of marriage not because they’re destined for it but because they’re looking for it.  That’s the amazing thing about the mind.  If we look for something, we’ll find it.  “Seek and ye shall find,” is not just a scripture, it is an absolute truth in life. 

Those who look for, expect to have, and work toward joy and happiness, somehow always attain those things.  Those who look for problems in life likewise always attain those.  It seems to be an unspoken rule of life.  Those who look for health problems seem to always find them.  Those who expect to have money woes seem to consistently find their bank accounts short on funds. 

I’ve expected happiness in my marriage from the start and have looked for it.  Any challenges we’ve had along the way, we’ve looked at as learning lessons and stepping stones.  We don’t look at any of them as having slowed us down or taken us off course.  What about you? 

Question: Do you believe you will find what you seek and receive what you expect?  Do you seek happiness in your marriage?  Do you choose to receive it daily?

If you’re happily married and haven’t taken the time to join the Club, make sure to join us today.  It takes only seconds and, of course, it’s completely free.  Until tomorrow…make it a great day!

Comments: With more than 45,000 Happy Wives Club members already actively engaged on our Facebook page, what better place to share your thoughts? Join me there and let’s continue the conversation: Happy Wives Club Facebook

A former colleague of mine, Elicia, moved to London a little more than 4 years ago.  She’d fallen in love with a handsome and dapper young British man, Carl, and after 5 years of dating, they’d decided to make it official.  

When Keith and I joined them for dinner in London (on my trip around the world in search of the secret to a happy marriage), we wanted to know all the details of their engagement, the wedding plans and we asked them to spare no details. 

They will be married at the end of this summer on the Amalfi Coast.  Carl hasn’t seen the wedding dress but Elicia proudly showed me pictures on her iPhone and shared the story of how she chose an American designer by happenstance and so she’d just received the dress in the mail from the US.  It’s gorgeous.

We learned about Carl’s meticulously planned proposal.  Last December, on Elicia’s birthday, he gave her a gift and a clue for a future “surprise.”  Every week for the next 6 months, Carl gave her a new clue – 26 in total.  The only caveat is she could not get a new clue until she figured out the one most recently given. 

In June, she guessed the second-to-final clue so the time had come.  Carl gave her a handmade note early one morning that said, “Let’s go!”  And with that, he told her she had 1 hour to quickly pack to be gone for 4 or 7 days (days 5-7, she’d later learned, were contingent upon what would happen on day 4). 

At the airport, Carl spoke with the female ticket agent and explained what he was trying to do, and because most women are romantics, she defied security protocol and allowed him to take Elicia to the plane without her being aware of where they were going.  A few hours later, they arrived in Naples.  

On the 4th [and possibly final] day, Carl suggested they drive up the coast to Capri.  It was here, overlooking the azure waters below, that he popped the question on bended knee.  And because he’d planned this day down to the most minute detail, he also captured the proposal on videotape.

All this talk about Carl’s proposal made me think about all the work and effort Keith put into his proposal to me.  And then I wondered how many people put the same amount of time, energy, meticulous planning and effort into creating a marriage that will stand the test of time. 

Question: Before you were married, did you spend more time planning the wedding or planning for a happy and successful marriage?  Did you prepare for what you would do after you said ‘I do’? 

If you’re happily married and haven’t taken the time to join the Club, make sure to join us today.  It takes only seconds and, of course, it’s completely free.  Until tomorrow…make it a great day!

Comments: With more than 45,000 Happy Wives Club members already actively engaged on our Facebook page, what better place to share your thoughts? Join me there and let’s continue the conversation: Happy Wives Club Facebook

I can’t believe how quickly time has flown.  For the past six weeks, I’ve enjoyed sharing with you what I’ve learned from so many amazing couples I’ve interviewed around the world.  But for today, I need to do something a little different. 

Right now, at this very moment, I miss husband so much I can hardly think of much else.  So please forgive me for today as my heart’s desire is to write, not to each of you, but rather to the one person who makes my heart skip a bit with just the sound of his voice.

My Love,

I say these three words so often, I hope you never cease to truly hear them: I love you.  You are my love, my life and my rock.  You are my best friend.  No one on this earth can or will ever compare.

You are the best part of me.  Have I told you that?  What I love most about myself, I see through a reflection in you.  My shortcomings, my weaknesses, my setbacks, all seem so minimal because you make them so.  When I make a mistake and am my toughest critic, you wrap your arms around me and whisper, “You were never meant to be perfect.”  You love me, flaws and all.

God placed you on this earth -I am certain of this- to teach me so much.  Patience.  Kindness.  Gentleness.  Unconditional love.  Putting others above yourself.  Giving, expecting nothing in return.  You are the essence of grace.

When I return from this trip, there is nothing I want more than to be held in your arms until the end of time.  I’m grateful for the time spent on this voyage, as difficult as it has been to be away from you, because I’ve learned so much; how to be a better wife, a more loving and considerate person, how this life has been made so beautiful with you by my side.

I cannot wait to see you, to hold you, to caress you.  To see your smile at this moment, would make me so happy.  But I know I must wait, just a little while longer, until my plane makes its way through two more countries before returning to Los Angeles.  It’s there that this journey will truly be complete.  Because I will be back where I belong.  Home.

I love you.

The Mrs.

I’ll be back next week with more of the great lessons I’ve learned on this trip thus far.  The one I’m excited to share with you on Monday came not from an interview conducted, but rather from a book I picked up at a local bookstore in Rome.  I hope you’ll join me then.  Until Monday…make it a great weekend!

I do regular check-ins with myself on my level of happiness, contentment, fulfilled purpose, etcetera.  I do this because as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found slight changes along the way in what I desire from life.  My goals shift, what is most appealing to me sometimes changes; life overall.  

I did one of these “pulse checks” as I was walking around the airport in Dubai and I’m happy to say my check-up went quite well.  My happiness is in good health.  What about yours?  

Happiness means different things for different people.  What makes me smile might make you frown and vice versa.  So what does happiness mean to me?  It’s quite simple.  A freedom to be myself, exactly as God created and my experiences have shaped me.  A freedom to love life to the fullest and to pursue every one of my hopes and dreams. 

The way my heart skips a beat when I hear my husband’s voice or the way I get so bubbly inside when he calls and his special ring tone, Easy Silence, by the Dixie Chicks plays and his picture displays on my phone.  Happiness is watching Pretty Woman or Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and being able to recite most of the lines while Keith laughs at me laughing at my two favorite movies. 

Happiness is walking along the beach and saying “thank you” for the birds, the trees, the ocean, the sand, the children making sand castles and the people running by as I continue on a nice stroll.  Happiness is being grateful for everything around me and all that is in me.

Happiness, for me, is not connected to money.  It never has been.  Maybe because I lived in several shelters as a homeless teenager or maybe because I’ve known so many wealthy people who are utterly miserable.  I learned long ago money could not buy happiness nor can the stuff it buys bring happiness.

Happiness is loving God, loving my husband, loving my family, loving my friends, loving myself and feeling wholly and completely loved in return by each of them.  Happiness to me, at this moment, is traveling around the world -in search of the secret to a happy marriage- and being able to write about this great adventure.  It’s having the opportunity to sit down and break bread with couples wiser than me, who have lived a life they’re proud of and who are loved and adored by their spouses.

Happiness to me is being able to describe what makes me happy and know I’m living that exact life, at this very moment, looking forward to what is still to come.

Question: What does happiness mean to you?  What does it look like?  What does it feel like?

If you’re happily married and haven’t taken the time to join the Club, make sure to join us today.  It takes only seconds and, of course, it’s completely free.  Until tomorrow…make it a great day!

Comments: With nearly 45,000 Happy Wives Club members already actively engaged on our Facebook page, what better place to share your thoughts? Join me there and let’s continue the conversation: Happy Wives Club Facebook

Seeing Keith for the first time in several weeks caused me to want to do far less sightseeing and spend more time looking at him rather than Big Ben.  But we did manage to do a little sightseeing during our four days together in Great Britain.  

One of our first stops as Westminster Abbey, where the nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton -watched by more than 2 billion people worldwide- took place.

Unfortunately, the 11^th century venue where these two lovebirds were married, and people from every corner of the world looked on with envy, struck me more as a cemetery than a place where a new life together would begin. 

Literally, everywhere I turned when visiting this church, there were headstones, tombstones, grave sites and cremated ashes everywhere.  Visiting this great monument, I was expecting romanticism, walls that spoke of love and an altar that had seen nearly some of the most extravagant royal weddings and coronations in British history. 

Instead I was stepping on graves of some of the most distinguished men and women in the country’s history.  Sir Isaac Newton, fancy seeing you here.  Charles Dickens, love your books, so nice to meet you.  Queen Mary I, Queen Mary Queen of Scots, Queen Mary II, Queen Elizabeth I, and Queen Anne, thank you for being trailblazers.  Charles Darwin, this is certainly the last place I expected for you to be. 

I could go from corner to corner of this place and continue saying hello and thank you to all the people I read about in my 9^th grade in European history.  Although I was surprised, and found the church to be a bit creepy, I was reminded of one thing: Money doesn’t bring happiness.  Power doesn’t bring happiness.  An awesome venue and amazing dress with a 25’ train doesn’t bring happiness.  It begins with a choice prior to marriage and continues by making that choice every single day.

Question: What choices have you made throughout your marriage to work toward mutual happiness and building a relationship to last a lifetime?

If you’re happily married and haven’t taken the time to join the Club, make sure to join us today.  It takes only seconds and, of course, it’s completely free.  Until tomorrow…make it a great day!

Comments: With more than 44,000 Happy Wives Club members already actively engaged on our Facebook page, what better place to share your thoughts? Join me there and let’s continue the conversation: Happy Wives Club Facebook

The streets of London hold more people than I’ve seen in any city.  New York is the closest thing I’ve seen to it but in New York it seems far less bothersome because everyone is going at the same rapid pace.  Not so in London. 

For some reason, the people here like to walk diagonal, stop randomly and begin heading in the other direction and the number of people stopping for a freshly made doughnut or chocolate drizzled Belgium waffle is dizzying. 

I arrived in London a week and a half before the Summer Olympics 2012 are scheduled to happen. “Where are you guys going to fit all the people travelling here?” asked a taxi driver.  “It’s going to be dreadful.  We’re all dreading it.”  And I see why. 

I couldn’t go 5 blocks without zig zagging through what was probably a thousand people – and that was only on my side of the street. But I was on a mission to find the perfect piece of lingerie to greet my husband after he returned to the hotel from his final meeting of the day.

Now, I’ve never quite understood the point of lingerie.  I spend all this time getting dolled up and putting on something Keith is going to immediately remove.  And I mean immediately.  Early on in our marriage, he’d purchased me quite a few pieces of lingerie.  I’d even purchased several myself.  But I never quite got the hang of them.  I didn’t feel comfortable in them.  I felt confident in them because I felt good about my body but they just didn’t seem authentic.  They weren’t me. 

How could I be completely open in my expression of physical love if I didn’t feel as though I was being myself?  Keith and I talked about this many times because there was a pretty wide gap between the lingerie he found appealing on me and the soft cotton nighties I found comfortable to wear.  But I’d been away from him longer than I’d ever been -on my trip around the world in search of the secret to a happy marriage- so I wanted to step up the eye candy.

And yippee, I found the perfect piece.

Question: What do you think about lingerie?  Do you enjoy wearing it?  Does your husband enjoy seeing you in it?

If you’re happily married and haven’t taken the time to join the Club, make sure to join us today.  It takes only seconds and, of course, it’s completely free.  Until tomorrow…make it a great day!

Comments: With more than 44,000 Happy Wives Club members already actively engaged on our Facebook page, what better place to share your thoughts? Join me there and let’s continue the conversation: Happy Wives Club Facebook

Yesterday, I shared with you a portion of an interview I conducted with a wonderful Mauritian/French couple.  Some of the best advice I’ve received, on this trip around the world in search of the secret to a happy marriage, came from Jean-Alain and Francoise.

Following our tea, we moved to the table where we talked about French politics (I know far less about their politics than they know about ours), enjoyed a scrumptious homemade lunch which included freshly baked bread with loads of butter (my doing, not theirs), red wine, steak, potatoes, steamed squash with olive oil and balsalmic vinaigrette drizzled along the top and a salad.  

During my time with them, I was reminded of a principle I’d heard from many of the happily married couples I’ve interviewed over the years: If you want more, it’s simple.  Be grateful for what you already have.

“Life is fantastic, let’s not spoil it,” Jean-Alain offers as his one piece of advice.  “I’ve always told the youngsters who come to me for advice.  I think to be happy in life, is very simple.  Love passionately whatever you make whatever you do.  I know quite a few friends who all their life think they would like to be this, to do that – be a doctor, be a lawyer, be this, be that – but haven’t managed to do it and they are still complaining ‘I should have done this or that.’  But why don’t you try to find out all the joy of all you are now doing.  Love it passionately and you’ll see that life is wonderful.” 

Continuing in this same vein, he says, “Love becomes marvelous…when you become content with what you have.  Don’t look always for other things.  The next door neighbors boat or car.  Let him enjoy it and let him enjoy what he has.”  You can always acquire more but God has a funny way of not giving more to those who don’t enjoy what He has already given, I add to his already wonderful advice.

Their daughter, Marie-Agnis, adds, “Or if He gives, you don’t see, because you’re not seeing what you already have.”  Jean-Alain concludes with, “You manage your life for sure, but there are many things you don’t manage and you have to catch the thing when it comes to you.  Be happy with it.  Life is a fantastic thing.” 

Question: What are you most grateful today?  That’s the funny thing about gratitude.  When you spend more time forcused on what you’re grateful for, you somehow end up with alot more to be grateful for.

Until Monday…make it a great weekend!

Comments: With more than 44,000 Happy Wives Club members already actively engaged on our Facebook page, what better place to share your thoughts? Join me there and let’s continue the conversation: Happy Wives Club Facebook

Jean-Alain and Francoise welcomed me into their home in Mauritius, served tea, delicious desserts and lunch.  We talked about love, life and what they believe to be the secret to a happy marriage. 

An hour or so into the interview, I asked Francoise if having four children in succession, and then a fifth 7 years later, was tough for her.  You bet it was.  She was exhausted.  At one point, she had “a terrible breakdown” because she was so tired.  And what helped her through it is something I’d never before heard about.

They were a part of a couples group through their church.  Every month, she and her husband were required to sit down together and talk about everything on their heart; the good, the bad, their disappointments, hope for the future and contentment (or lack thereof) with the present.  Nothing was off limits and each spouse would share their heart with their spouse. 

After their “duty to sit down and talk,” as translated into English since I couldn’t quite understand the name they called it in French, they would get together with five or six other couples once a month who were doing the same.  They’d rotate homes and after having a glass of wine and eating a lite meal or snack, they’d commence sharing with each other much of what came out of their monthly “sit down.” 

Of course, they couldn’t share everything, but they would share enough to learn about the challenges each other faced in marriage and to encourage and learn from one another.  Their church provided them with a “study guide” that listed common challenges in marriage and asked the couples to share their thoughts on each subject.

The more they talked about this, the more I wanted to fly home and start a group just like it.  And after starting my own, encourage wives all over the world to do the same.  Then reality hit and I realized I was only at the 4th city in my 12-country journey.

Jean-Alain, Francoise and each of these couples have remained best friends over all these years.  They met monthly for 15 years and then continued getting together as friends but not around a specific agenda.  By that point, they all felt strong in their marriage.  To this day, they all go on a group vacation once a year. 

There is a Doug Larson quote I love, “More marriages would survive if the partners realized that sometimes the better comes after the worse.”  While they were sharing with me this group, I wondered how many couples would have figured out how to work it out, grow and love again if they’d not rushed to considering divorce.  I wondered, if groups like this, could quite possibly be one of the solutions to keeping families together and encouraging each other to continue loving one another and falling in love over and over throughout their lifetime.

Question: What do you think about this concept of meeting with a group of couples, who are also close friends, to discuss love, marriage and life, and to encourage each other?

Join me Friday as I share a bit more of my time with Jean-Alain and Francoise in Mauritius.  Until tomorrow…make it a great day!

Comments: With more than 44,000 Happy Wives Club members already actively engaged on our Facebook page, what better place to share your thoughts? Join me there and let’s continue the conversation: Happy Wives Club Facebook