Imagine giving birth to triplets. Then imagine raising them all by yourself because the father wanted no part of you or raising three young lives. To make matters worse, you receive no financial support and continue to have health related issues from the delivery of those tiny little babies. Imagine thinking you’ve just finished raising your own child and then your younger, heroin addicted, sister gives birth to two baby boys and doesn’t want them. [...]
Every week we are confronted with the same agonizing dilemma, what should we write about that is of interest and value to you? We have 500 people receiving these emails, each with a unique perspective as to what’s worth investing the 5 minutes necessary to pick up whatever we’re throwing down. The young parents with teeny little ones have different desires than more seasoned parents of middle-schoolers, so we sort of work up and down [...]
Life is a journey, not a destination. ― Ralph Waldo Emerson Creating a thriving and vibrant family life is a journey. It is one that can provide fulfillment with meaning, purpose, and joy. However, it is not easy. It requires an intentional commitment to marriage and parenting that transcends many of the challenges and difficulties which inherently come from pursuing something meaningful. For this reason, we created OneFamily with Lis and Dave Marr. Our mission [...]
For the Howards, this is our favorite time of year. It’s a great time to reflect upon our blessings, enjoy many family traditions, and refocus our perspective on our life’s priorities. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year! However, in all that wonderfulness, it can also be the most stressful time of the year! Between Christmas shopping, decorating the house (Inside and Out), mailing out a billion Christmas cards, baking that never [...]
With the election one week away, one thing is 100% certain. A lot of people are NOT going to be happy! And guess what? That’s ok. We all understand that disappointment, frustration, anger, and disillusionment are a part of life. But how we deal with these emotions, and manifest them, can critically impact our lives and the lives of our spouse and children as we mentioned in our Emotional Expression letter. Learning to properly manage [...]
Blah. Blah blah. Blah. Blah, blah, blah! This is the sound or noise that children, spouses, and friends hear when we try to communicate during times of conflict. Meaningful conversations and effective communication never occurs when people are angry, frustrated, exhausted, feeling defensive or mentally preoccupied. You cannot teach a child the principles of self-control while they are having a “level 10”meltdown in the grocery store. Nor can you discuss marital issues (parenting, finances, in-laws, [...]
The Howards are HUGE football fans! In fact, we’ve had Denver Bronco season tickets in our family since 1968. With the 2016 pro football season kicking off this Thursday (a Super Bowl 50 rematch!), we are reminded of a coaching philosophy that actually transcends many areas of our lives. It’s the idea of playing to win versus playing to not lose. In football, there is a particular strategy that some coaches use to protect the [...]
Let’s pretend that this true story is typical of marriages. We’ll call the wife Lis and the husband Dave just for convenience sake. This marital drama developed over many years long before children arrived. It started out happy, took a turn for the worse where arguments were not uncommon, then righted itself into a ‘happily ever after’ scenario. The story starts as they typically do identifying threads of meaning long before the players come on [...]
ROMEO If I profane with my unworthiest hand This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss. JULIET Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, Which mannerly devotion shows in this; For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss. ROMEO Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too? [...]
It’s wedding season. A recent nuptial at a beautiful location south of Denver captured the fantasy of many a blushing bride. The location was pastoral perfection, the weather ideal, the ceremony handled with the right balance of solemnity, humor, and emotion. It really was enjoyable to watch the couple exchange vows, the participants and parents hold back tears, and the attendees dance the night away. A dream wedding. Today’s letter is the first part of [...]