TreasureLine Books 2011

In the summer of 2003, I was legitimately flailing through marriage and motherhood.  I was a full-time SAHM with two kids ages three and one.  We had moved four times in five years, and I was trudging through the darkest stretch of my life.  I set out on a journey to save my marriage, but in the process I discovered more about myself than I could have ever imagined.

I interviewed over seventy women and collected 175 questionnaires about how women survived tough patches in their marriages.  Over the course of two years I conducted my research and read anything that would help me to move back toward my husband again.  What I discovered was life-changing.  My current relationship with my husband is as good as ever.  Since 2003, we have added another kid to the mix, and a part-time job for me.  I have continued to pursue writing because it is, and always has been, my deepest passion.

I could never have done this project alone.  Because of the willingness of the women who shared their lives with me, and the unending support of my husband, I have achieved what I set out to do.  I wanted to save my marriage, and I wanted to find a way to do what I love without sacrificing the family we have built.

The book Choosing to Grow-Through Marriage is available for purchase on Amazon.

Excerpt from the book:

I’d like to say I understand a lot more about marriage and about staying married than I did when I started, but in all honesty I only better understand the intricate complexities of my own marriage put up against the backdrop of some general marital principles I discovered along the way.  I had hoped to be able to explain why my parent’s marriage fell apart and why it is such a contagious problem in my family.  I searched for that genetic reality that once identified could be treated and maybe even cured.  I didn’t find that.  What I found was a complex set of reasons why any individual marriage may make it or not.  What I found is that each marriage is unique unto itself and each person within the marriage carries a responsibility that only goes so far.  I am the only person responsible for my own happiness, and accepting that has made all the difference.

 

A Life Well Lived: The Story of Marion Adelaide Friend Bartscherer

As a gift for her grandmother’s 90th birthday, Meagan helped her to write her life story into a short narrative. The book is also available on Amazon.