When you have a number ofdisagreeable duties to perform,always do the most disagreeable first. -- Josiah Quincy --

The minute you settlefor less than you deserve,you get even less than you settled for. -- Maureen Dowd, in 'New York Times' --

Be not afraid of growing slowly,be afraid only of standing still. -- Chinese Proverb --

Never regret.If it's good, it's wonderful.If it's bad, it's experience. -- Victoria Holt --

There are admirable potentialitiesin every human being.Believe in your strength and your youth.Learn to repeat endlessly to yourself,'It all depends on me.' -- Andre Gide --

The undertaking of a new actionbrings new strength. -- Evenius --

In the end, it's not the yearsin your life that count.It's the life in your years. -- Abraham Lincoln --

Write it on your heart that every dayis the best day of the year. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson --

I was always looking outside myselffor strength and confidence,but it comes from within.It is there all the time. -- Anna Freud --

It's always helpful to learn from your mistakesbecause then your mistakes seem worthwhile. -- Garry Marshall, 'Wake Me When It's Funny' --

When you are not practicing, remember,someone somewhere is practicing,and when you meet him he will win. -- Ed Macauley --

A ship in port is safe,but that's not what ships are built for. -- Grace Murray Hopper --

Learning to Communicate...
One of the easiest ways to reduce misunderstandings and communicationfriction is to share only a few thoughts with someone and then allow theperson to repeat back what he or she thinks you said, much as wouldhappen when you place an order at a fast food drive-through. Thismethod will also improve your listening skills.

Resolving Conflict and Dealing with Anger...
Keeping our "heads together" in stressful times is something like afoxhole experience. Those who have endured the horrors of trenchwarfare often remain friends for life, even though their ordeal may havelasted only a few weeks or months. Why? Because shared experiences,whether pleasant or unpleasant, creates the common ground in whichdeep-rooted relationships germinate and grow. The greater the intensityof the experience, the greater the potential for bonds of love andintimacy that can bind us to one another in a beautiful relationshipcalled a close-knit family.


Increasing Your Intimacy 100 Percent...
One way to cherish our mates is to help them become fulfilled as people.We can do this by discovering their personal goals and looking for waysto help them reach those objectives. We all love to know someone ispulling for us.

Keeping Alive Romance and Security...
When used correctly, the differences in the way men and women respond tosex can complement each other. When not taken into consideration, thesedifferences will tear apart the very fabric of your mutual fulfillment. Decide to stop waiting for things to get better. Only the two of youworking together toward love will make the intimate difference. Acquireand practice new attitudes and skills that lead to fulfillingrelationships.

Finding Treasures in Trials...
Whenever we're hit with a trial, if we don't allow ourselves to becomeangry and bitter, we'll become much more empathetic toward others whoare experiencing similar problems and more sensitive to their feelings. All these things make us more loving and a better friend.

Honoring Your Wife...
Recognize your wife's uniqueness. Because men and women are createddifferently, we need each other in order to grow toward maturity andbalance. A woman may have more intuitive relational skills, but one ofthe strengths of a man is that he can decide to draw on those skills byasking probing questions like these: On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being theworst and 10 the best, where do we want our relationship to be? Whereis it, in general, today? What could we do in the next several days orweeks to bring our relationship closer to where we want it to be?

Honoring Your Husband...
Never belittle your husband's job or the importance of his activities atwork. Nothing destroys a man's self-esteem more than to hear his wifecutting down his efforts to support her. And remember that beingignorant of what he does on the job may, in his eyes, be the same asbelittling his work.


Learning to Communicate...
Added benefits of drive through talking: (a) Gives you a chance to fullyunderstand what the other person is saying before you respond. Thisalso prevents tuning out the other person while he or she is talking. (b) Validates the other person and his or her opinions. When you notonly listen but also repeat back what someone says, you communicate thatthe person and his or her opinions are important to you and worth takingseriously.

Resolving Conflict and Dealing with Anger...
Do not be threatened by the presence of conflict, but use it as aflashing road sign that gets your attention to do whatever is necessaryto resolve it at some point.

Increasing Your Intimacy 100 Percent...
So many men and woman treat each other as objects to be used. They maynot verbalize it, but they maintain an inward conviction that their mateshould do things that have never been discussed. This is like steadilypouring acid on intimacy.

Keeping Alive Romance and Security...
The key to a close-knit marriage is maximizing the times together andminimizing the times apart. Our culture has a tendency to emphasize"doing your own thing" rather than marital closeness. The moreactivities you can do as a couple, the better the chances are thatyou'll develop a deep, lasting relationship.

Finding Treasures in Trials...
The pain we feel for others helps us move forward in our personaljourney into maturity. Additional benefits include heightenedthoughtfulness, gentleness, carefulness, kindness, patience, andself-control.

Learning to Communicate...
Many people complain that their mate is strangely silent when they dosomething above and beyond the norm. We need to give praise and thanksto each other for special acts of kindness.
Increasing Your Intimacy 100 Percent...
We should instead discuss our roles in marriage and what areas we canencourage each other to do. We should choose areas based on genuinelove and not on expectations that have never been discussed.

Keeping Alive Romance and Security...
What increases security in a marriage?-Saying "I love you" regularly.-Making long-range plans together.-Cultivating a pattern of thoughtfulness.-Valuing each other's thoughts and feelings.-Demonstrating a strong commitment to Christ and to the spiritualhealth of your family.


Finding Treasures in Trials...
Don't allow guilt to overwhelm you when you notice negative emotionalsignals flashing. Rather, make a decision to use those signals as amotivation to evaluate and change your focus.



Honoring Your Wife...
A man needs to recognize the tremendous worth of his wife. Women havetwo incredibly important capacities because of the special way they'recreated. First, they have an intuitive desire to build meaningfulrelationships with those in their lives. Not only that, but they alsohave the capacity to recognize a healthy and intimate relationship. Ina practical way, this means that a woman carries inside her a built-inmarriage manual!



Honoring Your Husband...
Every man has tremendous value. It's hidden at times, perhaps, butalways there -- a worth based on the incredible impact he has on everymember of the family through his everyday actions and attitudes. Encourage him to remember how important he is and to make that impactpositive and affirming.



Learning to Communicate...
A couple cannot survive if one person always makes decisions independentof the other. It takes longer to make a decision if you insist ondiscussion that produces unity, but it removes the danger of hastydecisions that can cause a couple future problems in their marriage.