If your marriage is on the brink of disaster, what do you do?
That’s the question Emily Stern faces in A Bond for the Holidays, when her longtime marriage is rocked to the core right before Christmas. A secret she thought was safe forever comes out right before the holidays, and Emily realizes she just might lose the husband she’s started to take just a teeny bit for granted. And that, she realizes, would be an epic disaster. How does she fix it? Here are some guidelines that helped Emily and Robert in my Christian romance novella, one of eight now available in the Love’s Gift collection:
- List your favorite things to do together and make it happen. Emily and Robert are barely speaking, but because they both like to cook, they make a meal together. The close quarters and yummy food actually do help!
- Remember, you’re a team. When their almost-adult son disappears, Robert at first doesn’t want to go after him. But Emily reminds him what’s important, and they work together to fix the problems that led to his leaving.
- Get help. Emily finds a Christian counselor who helps them talk through their problems. Even though Robert doesn’t relish spilling his inner feelings to a stranger, their counseling session offers some good ideas.
- Embrace your friends. Emily and Robert end up sitting down to breakfast with friends and hosting a holiday party. Being a couple among other couples reminds them how much they care for each other.
- Dress up! When Emily comes down the stairs for that party, looking gorgeous, Robert finds her as breathtaking as the day she married him. Fancy clothes may not be the most comfortable, but they can really be worth the effort.
- Write notes. When Robert can’t bring himself to be warm and kind in person, he jots a note that lifts Emily’s spirits.
- Pray! Emily and Robert pray a lot, together and separately. Marriage is too hard to do alone.
I wish I’d followed these guidelines better myself. I’m not the marriage expert! When my ex-husband decided to leave, my hurt feelings and pride kept me from making a strong effort to keep the marriage together. If I’d followed these guidelines, our family might not have had to go through the pain of divorce. Maybe that’s why I felt Emily and Robert’s heartache so intensely… and why creating their happy ending meant so much to me.
A Bond for the Holidays will be published as a single novella in November, but it’s available right now as part of the boxed set, Love’s Gift: 8 Christian Romances Celebrating the True Meaning of Christmas. It’s just 99 cents. I hope my story, and the other wonderful novellas in the set, give you relaxation and renewal this holiday season.
Lee Tobin McClain read Gone With The Wind in the third grade and has been an incurable romantic ever since. Lee is the author of the Sacred Bond series of contemporary inspirational romances and also writes the Rescue River books (angsty, but full of fun kids and dogs) for Harlequin Love Inspired. When she not writing emotional Christian romances, she's probably driving around a carload of snarky teen girls, playing with her rescue dog and cat, or teaching aspiring writers in Seton Hill University's MFA program. She is probably not cleaning her house.
I have my copy and looking forward to reading all the stories.
I appreciate your honest words in the last paragraph, Lee. After working with divorce attorney’s for eighteen years, I discovered that no one is an expert on marriage. Hurt feeling and pride play a major roll in preventing couples from working through their differences. Perhaps that’s why we’re drawn to romance novels, we can get a happy ending, even if it’s not our own. I look forward to reading A Bond for the Holidays.
Thank you for sharing your story. Looking forward to reading the novella!
Thanks for all the suggestions and for sharing with us your personal thoughts.
I agree with you, it’s hard work to make a marriage continue smoothly. We are all human and desire to be loved, yet sometimes we forget that our spouses feel the same.
Thanks, Kaleen! Let us know how you like it!
Wow, that must have been a hard job, Jill. Thank goodness for romance books to sweep us away!
Thanks for reading. Stop by my website for a free Sacred Bond prequel, too: http://www.leetobinmcclain.com
Yes, Marylin, and nowhere are we more “human” than in marriage. It’s a broken world we live in. I’m trying to learn patience and forgiveness, helped by raising a teenager alone, LOL!
Marriage is hard work It’s not 50/50, it’s 100/100. And sometimes we just want to be a little more selfish than that, speaking for myself. It’s worth it, but it isn’t always easy!
Valerie, I love the picture you sometimes put up, of you and your husband hugging. You look so happy. What a nice looking couple. And there’s the secret: 100/100.
My marriage isn’t in danger (and I pray never will be!), but I think these tips can certainly help any marriage out! I love getting little notes or cards from my husband….just because :-) And I love doing the same for him. Thankfully we’ve never had to do any marriage counseling, but I know we can always go to our pastor or another trusted couple in our church if we need any Godly advice. And as far as cooking, I do most of it but he does a few dishes well. It’s at those times that we work together and it really does create an extra special bond! And on special dinner occasions (not very often though), we do like to gussy up a bit (my version of dress-up, lol!). I love seeing my husband’s eyes light up when I wear something special just for him and vise versa. And we always, always pray together at the end of the night as we are preparing to go to bed. It binds not only our hearts together, but binds us closer to the One who holds our marriage in His hands :-)
What a great post Lee! Thanks for sharing your heart and your book. I may just have to check that out for myself :-)
Lee, thanks for sharing your heart with us :) I love it when my husband cooks for me and our children. Our marriages need to be nurtured, and it’s those little things you mentioned that can make a world of difference and keep the romance alive.
Thanks for commenting and sharing, Narelle and Trixi–I can tell you both have a great attitude toward marriage and your husbands. That appreciation is a big part of your happy family lives, I have no doubt.
If you’re talking about my current FB profile pic, I think I was poking him to try to make him smile. He is not a happy guy in front of a camera, even when our daughter is the one trying to coax him into a natural stance and smile!