Author Archives: meagdawson

Since being diagnosed with depression I have been on about 5 different medications. Each one has a similar side effect that my husband hates: lowered libido. He often jokes that he can pinpoint the conception of our last two kids because they correspond with blue moons. He hates being a mid-twenty year old man livingContinue reading “Marriage and Intimacy”

“In an effort to understand charity, it is important to know what it is NOT. It is not artificial good cheer. It is not a thin veneer of politeness on a distressed soul. It is not holding our tongues while judging and resenting others. Rather it is a sacred and heavenly gift,” (Goddard, 2009). HoContinue reading “Seeking Charity”

According to Gottman (2015) in his book about marital principles, there are 2 forms of conflict: perpetual and solvable. Perpetual would be problems that don’t go away such as one wanting a baby and the other not being ready. Solvable are just that. Neither issue is easy or painless, but both are very real. IContinue reading “Duking it Out or Figuring it Out”

It is amazing that my husband and I have lasted as long as we have considering we are both some of the most bull headed people ever. Neither of us are willing to take criticism, ask for help, apologize first, or just straight drop our pride. It is a surprise it hasn’t ruined us, thoughContinue reading “I am Proud… In General”

Perhaps the hardest point of my marriage was when my husband and I lost our youngest son. We were only 10 short days from our due date when it happened. Our due date, oddly enough, was also our 4th wedding anniversary. That entire experience was hard, but the month after was the worst by far.Continue reading “Leaning Into the Hard Times”

What in the world is a Love Map? In his book, “The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work,” (2015) Gottman describes them as a portion of your brain that is dedicated to the most important person in your life: your spouse (p. 54). Page 56 and 57 of his book continue with a questionnaire regardingContinue reading “Connecting You and Your Love”

Don’t you find it interesting that when faced with a conglomerate of information, only parts stick out to you and you often dwell on those parts? You see it in so many things in life between politics to TV dramas. I am no different, especially when learning of divorces and marriage this past week. IContinue reading “Friendship as Kindling”

Growing up, I played frequently with my little sister’s Bratz dolls and little brother’s G.I. Joes. I was not only too cool to own my own, but my sisters and I were collectively too cool for Barbie and Ken. While on the floor playing, I can’t count the number of weddings put on and brokenContinue reading “Eternity”

Since the beginning of time, especially for those of Christian faiths, there has been a  man and a woman in marriage. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, members often view marriage as a very sacred entity and one that should follow the same patterns. The document, “The Family: A Proclamation to theContinue reading “Man and Woman?”

One of the first topics often introduced when speaking of marriage in general is divorce. I have heard many times that nearly half of all marriages end in divorce. This statistic is flawed. Yes, over time the divorce rate has dramatically increased, but not half of all marriages ever have ended in divorce. But whoContinue reading “Divorce”