Love has no agenda …

May we truly celebrate, appreciate … and exercise our freedom.… More

Authentic love is my concept of love. It extends far beyond romantic love or even consummate love shared with a life partner.

Love is everything good; it is the force for good. It is pure and resolute, with no self-serving agenda, with no degrees or deviation. It is passion and peace. It is responsibility and freedom, strength and tenderness, rock solid and transparent. It is defenseless and invincible! It is neither pride nor shame. It is fearless, unifying, compassionate, and healing.

It is mine, yours, nobody’s, and everybody’s. It can’t be seen, or touched, or quantified; but it is everywhere. It is everything. It is the only thing that matters. … More

Before Sam and I got married, God was gracious enough to give me signs that we were intended to be together. I say gracious because I didn’t ask for signs; I didn’t know I needed them! But later, I would be MOST grateful for the signs…and during some pivotal moments, they would be vital to our marriage.

As a single person, I thought I had relationships figured out. I had, after all, written a nationally syndicated column for several years, as well as a book, on relationships! So as a married person, I was tempted to make Sam more responsible than I was for those moments when I wanted to run.

But relationships are always two-sided. I knew that too well to fool myself! We get stuck (maybe in serial running) when we try to assign blame! We get unstuck when we assume responsibility and grow.

Today I am happier than I could have imagined being. And I couldn’t feel this way without those pivotal moments early on, because those are the moments that spurred the most growth. When I felt the most challenged, I had the most to learn. When I felt the most pain, I was–my issues were–the most exposed.… More

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Sam decided late morning, the Friday before Father’s Day, that he could get off early and meet me at the plane at 1:00. My job was to quit buying groceries and go home and pack.

I wore one pair sandals and packed one. I wore my wedding band and took no other jewelry. Packed minimal toiletries, no mascara, and used a glow stick from my purse for color. Everything we needed until early Monday morning, including two down pillows, was in one small bag.

I loved the freedom … but it wasn’t about being swept off to Key West or traveling light. I finally revel in who I am without the stuff. I want to look at, listen to, play with, travel with authentic me.

And I want to choose what to do, eat, read, without any preconceived notions.

Naked is as good as we get! Let’s cut the ties that bind us.

Love and smiles,… More