Mary Ellen Goggin
Remember your anniversary. Check. Have a weekly date night. Check. Take care of yourself so you’ll be attractive to your spouse. Check. Pack school lunches. Check. Work hard so you can bring home a big…check. Being responsible, doing nice things for one another, checking off all the right boxes – it’s all part and parcel…
Moments of knowing. We all have them, thanks to that “inner voice” that only begs us to listen. It lets us know when like becomes love. And it mercifully lets us know when happiness can no longer be feigned. Even if you’re in an unhappy marriage but afraid to leave, that voice will continue to…
It’s unbearable, really, the shock and devastation of infidelity in your marriage. In a moment of discovery or disclosure, all the life in your body can drain away to nothingness. And only anger, hurt, confusion, and a cauldron of negativity can fill the vacuum left behind. It could be either one of you, and the…
And the two shall become one. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Put others’ needs before your own. And so the song of self-surrender is sung…while the task of maintaining self-esteem in relationships is left to the self-help DIYers. The irony of relationships, and especially marriage, is that they are so…
Mention the word “infidelity,” and thoughts immediately go to the bedroom and clandestine sexual rendezvous. But there are other forms of betrayal that can be just as difficult to repair. Money, for example, represents far more than a means to an end in a marriage. And surviving financial infidelity can be just as difficult as…
When marriage takes a turn in the wrong direction, righting it is often beyond a couple’s forte. If you’re the one recognizing the slippery slope, you may already know that correcting it is going to require outside help. But knowing how to talk with your spouse about marriage counseling is going to be your first…
When marriage hits a dry spell, you may both feel what you can’t necessarily define, let alone explain. If you’re a husband, would you recognize the signs a woman is unhappy in her marriage? And, if you’re a wife, would you even recognize the signs in yourself? Inevitably, the unhappiness of one partner will affect…
The frequency of infidelity in marriage does nothing to assuage the shock and loneliness in its wake. Regardless of which side of an affair you occupy, you are likely to feel alone in it. And seeking help surviving infidelity may not even register with a starting point. Cheating has similarities across the board — signs…