February 2012 Entries
The man on the phone was enraged. He spewed venom as he described a fight he had had with his wife the evening before. “She was shouting obscenities at me,” he said loudly. “She attacks me emotionally and sometimes won’t let me get a word in edgewise.” He continued citing all the things she had done to upset him. I listened carefully, noting that not once did he indicate what he had done to upset her.
I could feel myself growing more tense as I listened to Deborah make excuse after excuse for her excessive spending during a recent Marriage Intensive. “I know I spend too much,” she said meekly, looking down. “But, you’ve got to admit that I’m getting better about it.” She looked to her husband, Chuck, for reassurance. He frowned at her. “What?” she questioned indignantly. “You know I’ve been getting better about my spending.”
The call came in like so many others. “I’m so tired of holding our marriage together,” Karla said. She made her intentions clear. Her voice was tired and thin. “I don’t hold out much hope,” Karla continued. “I’m mostly calling because Brad wanted me to. He found your program and wants to come out to save our marriage. But, I don’t think I’m really interested.” “Tell me more about what’s going on,” I pressed.