My wife Cathy and I have been married for more than 30 years. I truly am a fortunate person. Yet, we describe our marriage as “high-maintenance.” This means we have to constantly work at keeping our marriage healthy. Marriage doesn’t come easy for us. Perhaps you can relate. Creating intimacy in marriage takes work. It’s [...]

Can I be perfectly honest with you? Romance doesn’t come naturally to me. Physical intimacy absolutely does. But romance… that’s another story. I didn’t have good role models growing up and I just don’t think about it as much as the woman I am happily married to for the last 35 years does. Last Valentine’s [...]

The trait that is most closely linked to the success or failure of your marriage is your ability to communicate. Dr. John Gottman is one of the world’s leading experts on marriage. He claims that he often can determine if a couple is on the road to divorce by observing them interact on an issue [...]

Recently, at the National Youth Workers Convention, I was asked (in one of my seminars) if I intentionally taught my kids about marriage. The answer is yes… and, no. Yes, there are times when we’ve talked specifically about marriage (either ours or ones that our kids have observed). But, for the most part, Cathy and I have [...]

Too many couples settle for mediocrity in their marriage, when they would never settle for second best in other areas of their lives. A marriage that is a true union of souls—a connection of love, respect, romance, and spiritual oneness—sounds like a fairy tale. But it’s possible to build such a relationship as you bring [...]

I walk our golden retriever, Hobie, most days early in the morning at the Dana Point Harbor near our home. Recently, Hobie and I were strolling along the water and an older couple was walking toward me holding hands. They looked so very happy. Since my book Creating an Intimate Marriage had just been released, I am [...]