Tess, your story is one to be proud of, because I imagine your circumstances brought more than the average number of challenges, which required extra work to overcome. I'm a fan of therapy—personal and couples—and only wish that I had gone much sooner. The tendency is to wait until things are really bad. Wouldn't it be great if we could somehow, as a society, do away with the stigma of therapy?

jen, I know I ponder these issues much more than I otherwise would *because* I have daughters. I, like you, am constantly trying to think through how I can transfer what I've learned along the way to them. I know I can't completely protect them from pain and heartache, but I think lots of open discussions can go a long way.

Sarah, what's difficult about love and marriage, in terms of talking and writing about it, is the wide range of experiences, circumstances and personalities involved. Each relationship seems so unique that it's difficult to find a universally helpful approach. Promoting pre-marriage courses with a slightly different focus than the usual is a great idea. And they should be taught by teams of people—some who are in solid marriages and others who have been through a divorce.

Joy, I'm so glad you brought this discussion into the context of our current times. Culturally, things really have changed a lot, and they affect how we relate—some for the better, some for the worse. This point that you made rings true to me, particularly for teens and college age kids in certain circles: "Today honest and authentic sometimes seem to be laughed upon rather than revered." I wonder how we can help shift that trend, beyond just trying to raise honest, authentic kids (which is certainly a great start).