Brian Donovan, Marriage Counselor

09/15/2023

03/26/2015

What forgiveness is not:
http://www.counselingwithbrian.com/blog/2011/11/19/what-forgiveness-is-not/

03/25/2015

What forgiveness is:
http://www.counselingwithbrian.com/blog/2011/11/05/what_forgiveness_is/

Forgiveness is a by-product of an on-going healing process. Forgiveness is the gift at the end of the healing process. We find it waiting for us when we reach a point where we stop expecting “them” to pay for what…

03/24/2015

Having an attitude of forgiveness can go a very long way in preserving a marriage throughout the years.

In his book, The Seven Principles for Making Your Marriage Work, John Gottman says, "For a marriage to go forward happily, you need to pardon each other and give up past resentments. This can be hard to do, but it is well worth it. When you forgive your spouse, you both benefit. Bitterness is a heav…

03/14/2015

Living life solo may be as harmful to your health as obesity, smoking and drinking too much

03/12/2015

In their book, The Marriage Garden, Dr. Wally and James P. Marshall say, "We may think that we'll build a better relationship by dealing with our discontents. But this keeps the focus on the problems. When we focus on our discontents, we are likely to get stuck in them." (p.4).

Why not work on improving the marriage by focusing on the things that your spouse says or does that make you happy instead of discontent.

03/10/2015

Tasha and I love watching the interactions between Chip and Joanna. They really look like they cherish their relationship.

I love TV. There, I admitted it. I wish I didn’t love it so much. I do love to read too…really, I do. However, these days, while nursing a newborn at 3 A.M., television has become a calming refuge for me. Honestly, my braincells have decided to take a vacation while I work this whole sleep depr…

03/05/2015

"A ship in Harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for." Sometimes when there is contention with our spouse, we may tend to isolate ourselves. However, as human beings, we were not built to be isolated but built to connect with others. The next time you are feeling distant from your spouse, instead of isolating, reach out to him or her. Softly apologize and be willing to risk connecting with your spouse.
Image courtesy of Sujin Jetkasettakorn at FreedigitalPhotos.net.