DO YOU STILL DO? WHAT HAPPENS HAPPILY EVER AFTER by Cheryl Lacey Donovan
ISBN:
GENRES: Non-Fiction, Inspirational
BLURB
We've all seen it before. An elderly couple enters the restaurant. They sit down to eat. The only conversation is the one held with the waiter. Living in a marital wasteland, they never exchange eye contact, never hold hands. Married for thirty plus years, they find themselves with an empty nest and no relationship.
Imagining my own wedding day, I thought about all of those wonderful weddings that I’d seen on television and in the movies. Society and the entertainment industry have done a wonderful job making us believe in happily ever after and just wishing upon several stars to arrive at marital bliss. What they have failed to do is tell us how to maintain it. You see, they don't tell you what it's like to wake up to someone else's bad breath each day or how to respond when the hour-glass figure leaves after forty or so pounds are added after childbirth. Why do we spend more time planning for the wedding than we do planning for the marriage?
We stand before the altar in front of God and witnesses professing our undying love for the person to our left or to our right only to somehow allow those same vows to become distorted over time.
Eternal bliss and a marriage made in Heaven can only occur if two individuals are or become healthy on all levels; healthy enough to love unconditionally, healthy enough to be complete in their own right and healthy enough to trust God in all things including marriage.
Do You Still Do? Is an insightful look into the realities of marriage. The book will equip couples with the attitudes, principles, and skills they need. Happily Ever after can happen if you begin to look to God for your perfect ending.
EXCERPT
“Let’s celebrate!” that’s the message that a wedding shouts to everyone in attendance. So we celebrate; sometimes even after the bride and groom has departed. We rejoice in the beginning of their new life together, hoping they will live happily ever after. But is that even possible?
The music fades and everyone leans forward to hear this beautiful couple’s words of promise to each other. Standing before God, family members, and friends, they declare their love and commitment. Fast forward 30 years and this now elderly couple enters the restaurant. They sit down to eat. The only conversation is the one held with the waiter. Living in a marital wasteland, they never exchange eye contact, never hold hands. Married for thirty plus years, they find themselves with an empty nest and no relationship because over the years it’s become easier to focus on the aggravations, annoyances, and behaviors that frustrate and anger them in their marriage. They’ve lost sight of the significant gifts of kindness and service they receive from their spouse each day. Their critical negative attitudes have caused them to miss much of the joy of married life.
Hollywood has done a wonderful job making us believe in "happily ever after." What they’ve failed to do is tell us how to maintain it. You see, they don't tell you what it's like to wake up to someone else's bad breath each day or how to respond when the figure leaves after 40 or so pounds are added after childbirth. Why do we spend more time planning for the wedding than we do planning for the marriage?
We all enter marriage with great expectations. But most of us are challenged when the reality hits our imagination. Happily ever after can only occur if two individuals are or become healthy on all levels; healthy enough to love unconditionally, healthy enough to be complete in their own right and healthy enough to trust God in all things including marriage.
What aids the process of becoming a couple? Why do some couples struggle? How can we turn that struggle into a victory? Keith and Cheryl Donovan have been married for sixteen years. But they’ve had to work hard and continue to work hard to build a marriage that glorifies God rather than each other. At times, resolve was the only thing that held them together.
Do You Still Do? Is an insightful look into the realities of marriage. In it, Keith and Cheryl are honest about their struggles and God’s faithfulness. Because they want others to find real meaning in their marriages, the book equips couples with the attitudes, principles, and skills they need to have a fulfilling marriage of purpose.
