| The Grit and Grace Project

My Story, Daring to Date After Divorce

I was talking with one of my besties from high school while the kiddos played with their toys on the floor. We were just about to hang up the phone when she quickly interjected that she thinks that she found a guy that she wants me to meet. Ummmm…does she remember that months ago I went through a terrible, heart wrenching, devastating divorce? Does she even understand that I have NO intention of dating anyone…maybe ever again! I tell her I think she’s crazy and that there is no way I’m interested. She persists that he’s this great guy, and I’m like why don’t you date him if he’s so great? She begins to get the drift that I’m not interested, but […]

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How the 5 Love Languages Can Change Your Relationship

By Teresa Christian / Relationships

After 30+ years of marriage, you think I would have figured out a long time ago what is the best way to interact with my husband. But apparently I’m stubborn and sometimes selfish and would much prefer to keep doing things the way I’ve always done them, yet expect different results (wait … isn’t that the definition of insanity?). I tried every method I could think of to attempt to get Mike to act how I wanted him to, only to wind up frustrated and confused. How many times have you done the same thing? Your way makes sense to you, so why shouldn’t it to your guy? If communicating with him through text seems convenient, shouldn’t he realize you’re pushed for time

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After Years of Dating, Should You Keep Waiting?

By Darlene Brock / Relationships

I recently had lunch at a wonderful lakeside restaurant where my server was a cute, incredibly perky girl in her mid-twenties. Looking at her, I thought about what a great stage of life she’s in—one that so often brings the beginning of new life roads. Because I just have to know about every new person I meet, I asked her what keeps her busy when she isn’t working. Her answer was looking at bridal magazines. The obvious response from me came next, “That is so great! When are you getting married?” Her response, “My boyfriend and I have been dating for three and a half years and he hasn’t asked me yet, but I’m sure he will. So, of course I am thinking about a

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Can You Have a Fairy Tale Love?

By Darlene Brock / Relationships

Life’s fairy tale—fact or fiction? I hear the clamor of female voices saying, “Disney lied! There are no princes! There is no happily ever after!” Dreams dashed, fantasies destroyed. In many ways they are correct; you will not walk through life singing with the birds while fish harmonize and other woodland animals dance in time. Unless your career is that of a park ranger… There are males out there who can indeed be princes, yet they are just as likely to be frogs. A real-life man is often some of both. Expecting the dragon, evil queen, or bad-lipstick octopus to be defeated for your rescue, is probably not going to happen. But, that doesn’t mean you need to give up on some of

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Young Love… It’s Not So Complicated

By Linda Clements / Life & Culture

I had no brothers; therefore I didn’t get the inside scoop on what happens when younger dudes gather. I was very much a girly girl growing up. So, understanding how the guy mind pings and processes when he is interested in a girl was foreign to me. Imagine my shock and surprise when both of my babies turned out to be boys! It’s been a learning curve to say the least. Over the years I have learned a few things about how the male mind and heart works through observing my husband, my sons, and my son’s friends. I’m about to let you younger ladies in on a little secret you might want to know, and it just might answer that important question of “How do I know if he likes

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Breaking Up in a Digital World

By Sharita Hanley / Relationships

It really was madness—ending an engagement via text message, but at the time I didn’t know what else to do. So I took the easy way out and avoided a long face-to-face conversation. Besides, how could this kind of conversation (between two young kids who met online, talked online, and lived in two different time zones) go well anyway? We didn’t really know each other; we knew the selves we presented online. According to Facebook, he was a writer and I am a writer. We shared similar beliefs and both enjoyed spending time outside. But Facebook never asked me about my love for travel, my volunteer work with refugees, or what kind of stories I wanted to write. There was no text

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Stay Connected With Your Husband

By Katie Zamot / Relationships

“Take it easy luck-luck!” is something my husband said to me about a month into our marriage as I started to lose my cool one afternoon. I had never heard such a weird statement. I honestly have no idea what had me quickly coming unglued, but as the words escaped his mouth I began to laugh. The situation was diffused just like that. That very phrase has been spoken in our home many, many times since that day, usually as a joke. My husband is typically the one saying it to me because, if I can be honest, I struggle in moments of overwhelming chaos (like getting two little ones out the door when we’re already fifteen minutes late). My words can

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Creative Dating—No Money, No Problem

By Geinene Carson / Life & Culture, Work & Money

In our current season of raising young children, my husband and I have accepted that for the time being date nights may not look like they used to. Daily fatigue, along with the constraints of bedtimes, a tight budget and the availability of trusted sitters, are all factors to be overcome if we wish to successfully leave the house for a night on the town. Pursuing anything even vaguely resembling a date these days, calls for creativity and flexibility in how and when to make it happen. We like to think that we are perfecting the art of “dating in.” Though the location remains the same, after the children go to bed the time is ours to do with what we want.

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