TWO HEARTS IN LOVE

I’m Ellen and my husband’s name is Gene. We have been married for almost 26 years. We have two children – one in college, one in medical school.  We have a dog and a cat.  My husband is a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) guy. I was a finance specialist who decided that the best place for me was to stay at home with the kids.  I still wrestle with this decision. I have to admit, sometimes I do regret staying home, but I know my kids appreciate my sacrifices. I think.

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Almost eight years ago we were approached by our church to consider training to become Marriage Ministers. Gene and I talked about it.  We knew we had a strong marriage.  We knew we received a great deal of satisfaction by helping others.  We realized we could make a difference. 

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So, we went to training.

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We attended classes on communication, conflict resolution, forgiveness, and listening skills to name only a handful. Moreover, we became certified as Prepare and Enrich facilitators.  We walked aside couples with marital struggles that include lack of trust, communication, and anger issues.  We shared with them how we had overcome our own marital struggles and taught them tools to help navigate usual bumps and valleys of marriage.  Most couples learn how to revive their unions and thrive.  Others, unfortunately, did not.  There is no recipe for success here, just a willingness to open one’s mind and heart and to try and try again.

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We designed this website knowing there is no “perfect” marriage.  It is our goal to touch and positively influence as many relationships as we can.  This is a no-judgment zone.  Furthermore, there are rules – all centering around respect.

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We are not professional counselors. There are a handful of situations that we will not directly address – Addiction, Adultery and Abuse.  We call these The Three A’s.  In these situations, there is no substitute for professional assistance.  We encourage seeking marital / family counseling if your marriage is being affected, in any way, by The Three A's.

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In addition to relationship tools, we will share occasional insights and lessons from our own marriage. These will be part of our Blog. Honestly, I do most of the organizing and writing, while my husband will occasionally add his two cents from a male perspective.

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Let’s get started.