Compassionate Joy

In sharing an idea, have you ever made the mistake of not telling your spouse how you felt about the idea? I have. One day, when our children were in elementary school, our church announced at a women's Bible study that there were children in Russia who needed homes....

Have you ever wondered when to share your feelings and when to keep quiet? My husband, Tom, and I had to learn to lovingly and respectfully speak up when the other person did something that hurt our feelings. We're both very non-confrontational people, so we'd tend to...

Have you ever been excited about an idea and shared it with your children before you consulted your spouse? I have. When our daughter, Kristy, was about six years old, Tom and I had discussed the possibility of hiring a clown for Kristy's birthday, but I told her...

Have you ever made a suggestion to your husband and he resisted because he felt you were making a demand? This has happened at times in our marriage. I learned that I could often avoid this problem by changing a statement to a question. For example, instead of saying,...

A friend of mine once told me that I had typed the word "sex" instead of "six" in one of my blog posts. I had a good laugh over his comment about keeping my posts G rated, but it got me thinking. Both my husband and I had proofread the blog post, but we failed to...

Do you ever feel like you and your spouse are speaking different languages when you try to communicate? I do. Communication breakdowns can lead to misunderstandings and hurt feelings. First, we  must be careful not to make assumptions. For example, my husband often...