Rescued Poinsettia plant takes root in husband’s undying love

It’s the kind of love you root for.      You know that top notch person you adore who just hasn’t found her person?      That was the story with an old friend and work colleague of mine.      The beauty of social media as we lived in different cities and took different career paths meant I could follow along as she found love later in life.      This friend’s new husband clearly adored her. That was evident from the photos

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Why My Husband Is NOT The Man of My Dreams

I didn’t have the wedding of my dreams.      I’ve been thinking about that wedding.      It was seven years ago this week.      You might remember this, Dear Reader,        As this entire story has unfolded in the lines of this website. How we got to the waterfall wedding We got engaged after two years of dating. And decided to get married just three weeks later. There was no time to plan for a grand affair. No time to

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The Question Every True Dog Lover Must Answer

Panic set in this week. During a phone call home while I was out of town. A last minute trip I’ll tell you about sometime. For now, this panic was about our “newish” puppy. Because of the last second nature of this trip, I left all the animals in care of my husband. There was a time when this would’ve seemed impossible. This man who didn’t want any pets. This man who has come so far. Early on, he learned

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How My Daughter’s Secret Compromised My Marriage

They are the words that inspire panic in any well-meaning parent. “I’m going to tell you something,” my daughter announced this week, but you have to promise me you won’t tell any other member of this family.” Talk about the ultimate morals test. On one hand, I was thrilled and relieved that Daughter trusted me enough to share her deep, dark secret. On the other, keep a secret from my husband? We just don’t have that kind of marriage. On

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The Joy Of Catching My Husband In A Love Affair

I never expected to catch my husband doing this. Not this husband. Not during what should be a season of gift giving. Oh, sure. Every wife is shocked. Says her man would be the last to love another girl. I can say it with fortitude. Not my husband. Not this girl. But it has happened. I’ve caught him. It appears, Husband has fallen for my dog. Yes, this husband who swore he never wanted a pet. This husband who couldn’t

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Taking The Temperature In My Marriage

It’s not that I’m blaming anyone. After all, the terms were right there in bold print in the Mommy contract. Maybe you signed the same one, Dear Reader? The one where you swear you don’t believe in germs. Not when it comes to taking care of your ailing family. You convince yourself you’re invincible, Have a special super hero protection shield, And do what you have to do in order to take care of everyone else. That’s how I ended

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Marriage Teaches Me Something I Should’ve Known About Love

I gave a little prayer of thanks this morning as I walked my dog in the still morning dark. Thanks that my husband made it home last night. Was he gone on a business trip? No. Pushing limits on a drunken bender? Oh, that’s a funny one, if you knew him. So was he somewhere I should’ve been worried about? Not at all. He was, Are you ready for this? At his first baseball game of the season. Every Spring

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Is Husband’s Surprise A Good Thing?

To be surprised? Or not surprised? That is the marital question I need your help with this week, Dear Reader. I’ve shared in previous columns my husband’s rather quirky, geeky hobby. Crazy, mad genius obsession, might be a better description. Husband collects frequent flyer miles without flying. Millions of them. It’s all the way we spend our money: mortgage, power bill, grocery store, clothes. No dollar goes out the door without generating miles. Make that multiples of miles. We live

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My Husband Wants Me To Start Dating

My husband wants me to start dating. Wait, it gets better. He wants me to start dating women. If this isn’t among his sweetest, most endearing qualities, I don’t know what is. See, we’re not that wild, exciting swinging couple you might be imagining. About as far from that as possible. Look “Boring” up in the dictionary and there are our contented, smiling faces. The deal is Husband is worried about one of the greatest treasures of my life: my

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How I Wish I Could’ve Helped This Man

Please catch my newspaper column each week in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Dayton Daily News and other newspapers across Ohio.  Here’s this week’s column: I hate not being able to help. The pull to help seems to come as naturally to me as my 14-year-old dog is drawn to her liver-flavored treats. And yet, there are times when you have to know you can’t. You just can’t. At least Dear Reader out there understands my frustration.  For this one man, a husband, this

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