Blog
Practical wisdom, faith-filled insights, and real-world relationship advice for couples at every stage. Our blog offers practical tools and Catholic perspectives to help you love smarter. Explore topics including communication, fertility, forgiveness, spirituality, parenting, and more — authored by Francine & Byron Pirola and other guest contributers.
For Better is Important too
We all understand how important it is to know that your spouse will be there to support you during the hard times. Having someone to…
Confessions of an Advent failure
Advent is supposed to be a season for spiritual growth and reflection. Too often we arrive at Christmas eve frazzled and in a spiritual desert.…
#19 Transition to Parenthood
The transition to parenthood is a challenge for all couples but for a couple that experienced almost a decade of infertility the change from being…
The Bethlehem Prayer
Through an imaginative encounter with the Holy Family at Bethlehem, God offers consolation and healing for our Family of Origin wounds. It’s very normal when…
Waiting … with joyful hope
Advent is the season of waiting. And there sure is lots of waiting in marriage and family life. Advent, from the Latin adventus, means ‘coming’. …
Displacing Contempt with Respect
Want to give your marriage heart burn? Try treating each other with contempt. Contempt has been identified as a corrosive relationship pattern among couples headed…
Making a change for the better
Change is difficult. It can also be complicated. Despite our best intentions, sustained change often eludes us. We’ve had many spouses tell us that their…
Wedding Stress Tamed!
Planning a wedding is busy and stressful. There’s lots to think about and lots of factors to consider in every decision: the budget, the aesthetic, and the cost-benefit. The practical reality of…
Perfectly Imperfect Marriages
Despite the promises of Hollywood and fairytales, the perfect marriage is the one that helps us grow the most. And that’s not likely to be…
Marital Conflict Gone Global
When conflict arises in a marriage, it’s not uncommon for us to seek validation for being upset. So we look for ways to strengthen our…
#18 Anchored
In the summer of 2021, Tony Manfredonia, a songwriter, found himself on the brink of destroying his marriage. Lost in the relentless pursuit of career…
Criticism: the not-so-silent killer
Criticism kills. It undermines our confidence and corrodes relationship trust. In relationship research, it is identified as one of four destructive relationship habits. We’ve all…
#17 Accompanying The Abandoned
When a marriage breaks down, it’s rarely by mutual agreement. More commonly, one spouse wants to leave and the other wants to rebuild. For the…
Softly Spoken Wins the Heart
“Honey, we need to talk!” Every spouse knows that what follows will be an uncomfortable conversation – one that will likely be bruising if not…
#16 Frustrated Marriage
Frustration, disillusionment, irritation – it’s common for spouses to experience a variety of disappointments in marriage. From mild and temporary setbacks, to sustained desolation, spouses…