Promising to take someone to see the Northern Lights has its challenges, rewards, and celebrations. The Northern Lights are an unpredictable (to some degree) weather related phenomenon. Seeing the Northern Lights together was a commitment made, to me many years ago, and kept this past year. Next week we celebrate 30 years of marriage, all of challenges we have faced and rewards we have celebrated, together. We married very young, at least by today’s standard, at the age of 20 and 21. Our union was the beginning of two people becoming “us”. As imperfect people we brought our imperfections into the marriage. What has kept us together, as we became and will still become a better “us”, is grace

There is no way we can live each other’s lives. We cannot truly feel anyone else’s disappointments or heartaches. What we can do is weep with one another and be so close to other’s that they can “feel” us on the darkest days. The types of relationships I am talking about are; close friends, our family even a spouse, those who love us enough to see us through our suffering and provide support that changes how we feel about our circumstances. Sometimes we choose to reorganize our life and sometimes the choice is made for us. An illness, a marriage, a death, a change in career (chosen or forced), children, even financial changes are things in life that can cause us to pause if not stop to reo

Making people and our relationships a priority, opening our hearts to love, and caring about others are all types of relationship investments. We "bear up" as we endure hard times knowing that those times can pass if all parties remain fully committed. Our best relationships are ones that are built on mutual support. Realizing that both support and roles ebb and flow, as life and the relationship changes, helps us to embrace the idea that commitment involves mutual support long-term. Partial commitment doesn’t work because it leaves the “way out door” open. That door opening widens as we experience times where we feel unhappy and/or discontent. Placing fault doesn’t help change relationshi

Most of us for some reason or another have had times in our lives where we feel alone or isolated. There are time periods in life where we have limited opportunities to spend time with people, have little to no relationship connections, and do not feel as if we are a part of a community or sometimes even a family. These time periods, of aloneness and isolation, are beyond normal expectations and can affect us in multiple ways and on multiple levels. During these times it will be hard for us to feel connected, cared about/for, or even loved. We can even sometimes be in or have relationships with others and still feel lonely and disconnected. It can also be difficult to sit alone with ourselv

There is no denying that mountains exist. It is possible to see, touch, and explore a mountain. We can even test the composition and structure of a mountain to make sure it meets the requirements of what a mountain is said to be. We can also test truth and love in the same way to some exent. How do we know if something is an absolute truth? It stands the test of time and can be repeatedly tested and proven to be true. Proving and testing the concept of love is a little more complex, as it is an intangible concept. Although, there are actions and even words that speak to what love is. Relative truth can change. Our truth about relationships can change; as commitments can change, feelings ca