Here's a little conversation discussing some of the takeaways from a recent Marriage Retreat that we attended, I mean we gave. Of course we learned so much in preparing, but we learned even more from the wonderful attendees.

We know when things get hectic, or stressful, or life feels overwhelming, that we probably need a break--in fact, we probably just need to pay attention to obeying the Sabbath. It's the gift of rest and rejuvenation that God gives to each and everyone of us every week. Why do we neglect this? And what exactly should we do on Sunday? What are Sabbathy things?

This is a short excerpt of a talk given by Sr. Virginia Joy at the Belonging Women's Conference in 2024 in South Carolina. She has some "heart lines" connecting her to us and Heart Ridge, so we thought we'd share just a taste of her inspiring message.

What's one thing that all marriages need? It's that four letter word--time. We talk a lot about the Gottmans and their marriage advice. To follow a lot of this advice takes spending time together--so we highly recommend taking time for a date night. Is it really important? Yes! Is it possible? Yes! And better yet--try an extended date night, as in a weekend away together. Join us in this conversation we have about spending time with your spouse.

What power there is in seeing another person.

There's probably nothing better we can do for our children than to take the time to "see" them. We also need to "see" our spouses, neighbors, relatives, etc. In fact, our whole culture is suffering today because so many people feel lonely, not cared for, and not seen.

It's time we start to notice where we need to see others in lives.

And so we begin. . . our first episode is probably "weightier" than we're thinking the others will be--but hey, who doesn't want some substance in their podcast? We talk about the name, Heart Lines, and why we are doing a podcast when there are so many podcasts out there. We also tackle the Pope's new encycle on the Sacred Heart--seems "weighty" but it really isn't. And why it took an encyclical to really seal our devotion to the Sacred Heart.