*** Congrats to “D” and Radiah, who were winners of these books on Oct. 14. If you are just reading the post for the first time, be sure to check out all the GREAT marriage advice in the comment section.***
Author and speaker Marla Taviano recently sent me copies of two of her books:
Is That All He Thinks About: How to Enjoy Great Sex With Your Husband
And now I want to give them away (because they rock!)
First let me say that what I love so much about Marla (and her books) is that she is incredibly real.
I know that doesn’t sound overly amazing, especially in today’s world where the word “authenticity” is tossed around like croutons on a salad bar.
But she is real!
And it shines through in her writing.
Let’s face it, marriage is not the easiest trek on the map.
As I have always said, the two people who radiated with joy at the altar now meander through piles of laundry, stacks of bills, whiney youngsters and messy garages. This is as true for us marriage “experts” as it is for anyone else.
We strive. We laugh. We fall down. We get back up. We struggle. We wonder.
What a crazy road marriage can be. Rewarding and enlightening, mind you. But heartbreaking and bewildering at times too.
Marla is so willing to speak out of her own story — the ups and downs of her own marriage (and all that comes with marriage, including sex).
She’s a gal’s gal — and a writer’s writer. She gets it.
Reading her books feels like pulling up a chair to a friend’s kitchen table, enjoying a cup of hot coffee, and basking in genuine conversation (while the kids play nearby, the laundry goes unfolded, and the dust gathers on the entertainment center).
Marla was willing enough to glean insights from her own journey and drop them into books for the rest of us to enjoy and learn from.
Thank you Marla. For keeping it real. (And for sending the books, so my readers can benefit).
If you’re reading this and want the opportunity to receive one of the books free, simply throw a comment into the comment section with one piece of wisdom you would share either from your own marriage experience (or, if you aren’t married, a piece of wisdom someone who loves you has shared with you about marriage).
On Friday morning, Oct. 14, 2011 at 8:00 a.m. CST, I will have my husband randomly give me two numbers (within the span of comments I received). The two comments that match up to those numbers will be the winners. (Thank you to Paul and Lori Byerly for that way to do giveaways).
Remember — I moderate all my comments, so if yours doesn’t show up right away, it’s just that I simply need to hit the “approve” button. Also, be sure to include a legit email address (it won’t publish publicly, but I’ll need it to reach you if you are a winner!)
And if a “chance to receive free books” is your thing, you can have a chance each month if you sign up for my eNewsletter. I send it just enough to be helpful, and not nearly enough to be annoying. And each month I pull a name from my list to receive a marriage book.
To find out more about Marla Taviano, check out her site and blog. You may also want to check out her new book The Husband’s Guide to Getting Lucky.
Copyright 2011, Julie Sibert. Intimacy in Marriage.
One of my favorites is to marry your best friend. So important!
Effective communication is key to EVERYTHING! Talk about how to effectively love one another, how you are best heard/understood, how you receive love (emotional and physical), etc. Talk about everything with an open heart. Be a student of your spouse: willing to pull all-nighters, do extra credit, and make-up work.
When male clients complain about the love life with their wives, I say to the many husbands I treat that washing the dishes, changing the baby’s diaper, and putting their clothes in the hamper is to be considered foreplay til death due them part.
Allow your spouse the freedom to grow and change, and be willing to grow and change alone with him 🙂
I’ve learned to have compassion on others, by learning to be compassionate toward myself. I am not perfect, though I wish to be and do intently try to aim toward that goal. My Utmost for His Highest, shall we say. But I am not yet fully perfected. Accepting and forgiving myself is crucial toward understanding and therefore forgiving and accepting others – warts and all.
Christy wrote: “To marry your best friend”. I add, and to keep them that way.
Always, always, put your wife first, after God, but before your children, your parents, your siblings, your friends, your work, your hobbies, and even before your volunteer work at your church, for when that begins to come between you and your wife ,then you are not following God’s plan, since God would not want to divide you.