In the last episode, we discovered that marital love must be grounded in friendship, that the ultimate expression of love is unselfishness, and that sexual desire practiced before marriage clouds the ability to evaluate a relationship. Today we continue to discuss three more observations about marital love.

Culture tells us that love is ambiguous or flimsy or can change, and most people fear that their love isn't going to last. Learning how to define what love is, is extremely important, especially if you're moving toward a lasting commitment in marriage. In this episode we discuss criteria for marital love that are crucial for lifelong commitment.

What should you do when your partner just doesn't get it? If this thought has ever crossed your mind, you are in good company. We all experience those feelings at some point or feel like our partner just doesn't understand us, or worse yet doesn't even care to. In this blog, Willa Williams (LMFT) shares two principles that will set you up to be better understood and better responded to by your partner.

Did you know that “finance issues” are cited as one of the top 5 reasons why marriages end in divorce? And nothing highlights a couple’s spending tendencies like planning a wedding together. Check out our newest Love Matters video for tips on wedding planning and money.

“You start lying to yourself the minute the physical wounds go away,” a somber Rihanna told the media concerning her beating at the hands of ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. Could the same be said of the fictitious Anastasia? Why, after her physical wounds healed, did she go back? The answer lies in understanding the tragic cycle that moves from tension to explosion to remorse to honeymoon. A cycle rooted in fact, not fiction.

Everyone has expectations for their most important relationships, but could they do more harm than good? In this Love Matters video, we explore the way expectations can impact your relationships, and how you can handle them well. 

The thing with expectations is that we usually don’t even realize we have them until they are not met. This is particularly true of newlyweds. Once you say “I do” and start living together on a daily basis, that’s when issues begin to surface. Yet, all too often we fail to even talk about them, which usually results in conflict. And it’s certainly not limited to newlyweds.

The essential first step in crafting a difficult conversation is to reclaim a healthy respect for the power of words. When preparing to engage another in a difficult conversation we must acknowledge and anticipate the impact our words could have on another.