ConnectEd Pairs

02/23/2026

This is a favorite article from Gottman.com that has helped many clients.

Because when someone’s feelings get hurt, it doesn’t automatically mean someone did something wrong.

02/20/2026

“Immature love says: ‘I love you because I need you.’ Mature love says: ‘I need you because I love you’ “
Erich Fromm

02/19/2026

To love someone is to risk being hurt. We open up and let that person in. We leave ourselves bare and there is no guarantee that person will be supportive and love back. This stops some people from starting relationships at all. However, these people can become lonely and bitter, resenting others who took the chance and found love. We can learn what we want and don’t want from failed relationships. Taking the risk is worth it when it means finding someone who is there for you, offering love and support.

02/19/2026

“You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it might be broken one day, and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure so rare it scares you.”
Bob Marley

02/17/2026

In this article, Carolyn Sharp, LICSW encourages couples to practice self and other differentiation, although she does not use those terms. Packed with wonderful information for you to implement so that you can have the connection in your relationship that you always wanted.

There are no hacks for deep connection. The feeling of love that everyone craves is forged in inefficiency, by struggling through the difficult moments most couples try to avoid.

02/16/2026

Relational Life Institute is offering a free live webinar on Friday for couples. Register even if you are not able to attend live so that you have access to the replay and the free handout on time-outs.

For anyone who’s tired of repeating the same painful patterns 3 Shifts To Create Lasting Change in Your Relationship A free, live class with senior RLT therapist and educator Kate Harris – including a simple tool you can use to reset and respond differently when emotions run high. LIVE Friday, F...

02/13/2026

“We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known, and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, kindness and affection. Love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only he cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them- we can only live each other as much as we love ourselves.”
Brene Brown

02/12/2026

Have you ever had a splinter in your finger that you can’t get out? After time, if you leave it in, it can fester and become infected, leaving you ill. Not forgiving someone can be the same way. If we leave those feelings of hurt or anger inside, they can fester and we can become bitter. We forgive for ourselves, to free us from those negative feelings. Forgiving does not mean forgetting or letting our offenders off. This also means forgiving ourselves and sometimes that can be the hardest thing to do. Being angry with ourselves won’t change anything but forgiving ourselves can.

02/11/2026

“Love does not claim possession, but gives freedom”

Rabindranath Tagore

02/10/2026

What season of life are you currently experiencing in your relationship? How do you make the most of it and embrace the positives?

Are you having trouble appreciating the here and now? Start embracing the season you’re in with these tips.

02/09/2026

What are your thoughts on kissing in your relationship? What would be your vote for top movie or TV kiss? (Video clip is about 7 minutes)

With Valentine's Day around the corner, Susan Spencer asked: Is a kiss just a kiss? An evolutionary biologist says kissing is common in the animal kingdom and may date back 21 million years. A certified s*x therapist explains why we kiss — and why some smooches linger in our memories for decades. ...

02/06/2026

“Trust is built in very small moments, which I call ‘sliding door’ moments. In any interaction there is a possibility of connecting with your partner or turning away from your partner. One such moment is not important, but if you’re always choosing to turn away, then trust erodes in a relationship- very gradually, very slowly. “

John Gottman