A lasting marriage doesn’t need to begin with an expensive wedding and honeymoon. We reached our Golden Anniversary without either. — A Simple Beginning to a Lasting Marriage When we first married, we didn’t have much cash. Neither did either of us have a driver’s license. (That’s a story for another time.) My new husband had to go back to work at his part-time job at UCLA the Monday after our Saturday morning wedding. That’s why we decided…

Parents may have to decide whether to allow a teen to make a decision when head and gut feelings don’t agree and all the risk factors aren’t known — A tragic death The mood was somber. Our family had just attended the memorial service for the 16-year-old son of friends. Our son Jason and the family’s younger son were playmates. …

Supportive parents, a stable childhood, and the assurance that God loves and accepts them can help protect children from cults who would prey on them Kidnapped? When I was in fifth grade, I belonged to a private band. The three parents of members who lived in our neighborhood took turns taking…

Jason seemed to have an invisible sign around his neck that said, “Love me.” Maybe that’s why I did I first met Jason while I was weeding a flower bed in my front yard in the late afternoon. …

A review of ‘My Father’s House’ by Rose C. Johnson — A light romance with some unromantic scenes Romances aren’t all sweet and light. It’s easy for a lonely young woman who’s lived a harder than average life to fail to heed warning signs when a handsome wealthy man begins to court her. That’s what happened to Lily Rose. My Father’s House by Rose C. Johnson is set…

One accident turned Mia and her husband into strangers instantly — TW/CW: Mental Health Disorders, Suicidal Thoughts, Abuse It Only Takes a Few Seconds To Change a Family’s Life Forever A response review of Always Yours, Bee: From Accident to Affair to the Ever-After by Mia Hayes. Page numbers for all quotes come from this book. Mia Hayes believed that spouses who love each other stay faithful to each other. After her husband’s…

One sunny afternoon about 37 years ago, I was weeding my front flower bed when a scrawny little boy appeared next to me. Since he was a new face in my neighborhood, I suspected he was a recently placed foster child who lived next door. …

The story of a marriage that survived despite the odds against it — We beat the odds The odds are against a couple celebrating their Golden Wedding Anniversary. Almost every day we hear of a marriage that didn’t last more than a few years or that sputtered out in midlife. Some marriages don’t last until the weddings that began them are paid for. According to Business Insider…

I was afraid to explore what they really meant — The accident I was nursing an unknown virus at home for the ninth day. My husband had left about 3 p.m. to take some letters to the post office and then swim at the gym. He was dressed for swimming. As dusk approached, I thought he should have been home, but he…

If he hadn’t graduated to Heaven we’d be celebrating his 42nd birthday — No more birthday parties to plan I confess, one of my least favorite parts of parenting was planning birthday parties. The first birthday party for Jason I attended was not one I planned. My next door neighbor planned it. She was Jason’s foster mom. She invited us so we could meet Jason’s sister Sarah in a…

God heals the broken-hearted who bring their broken hearts to Him — God knows how to heal the hurts we bring to Him I have to credit Bett Harris for inspiring me to write this article. When the Waters Stir Be the First to Get In Life lessons on being prepared for when the time comesmedium.com In it she says As time passes, what we remember are not the hard times, or the bad times, or even the sad times. What we remember are the good times and the important times. Our psyche…