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Dear Friends:

We are just back from our immersion in marriage education at the annual Smart Marriages Conference in Dallas, Texas, where 1800 of us gathered. A few people we know attended, and we hope to see more of you there next year. Please save the date: Atlanta, Georgia, USA, June 20-28, 2006, including pre- and post-conference training sessions.

Craig and I are now certified to facilitate the brand new FranklinCovey "8 Habits of a Successful Marriage"® course. It was facilitated by Jane and John Covey and their team. We especially appreciated that the new 8th Habit - Lift Yourself by Lifting Others--is now added. Joining us (and 35 other people!) in this first graduating class was Fiona McDonald, who is training manager for Relationships Australia (www.relationships.com.au), a member of the Baha'i Faith, and a member of the editorial team for the new edition of Pure Gold. We were thrilled to meet her and have her with us. She also shared her beautiful voice in singing a prayer at the interfaith service at the conference. See later in the newsletter for an exciting marriage conference in Australia.

Also joining us at the conference was Nahed Squires from Stratford, Ontario. She is now trained in the marriage education course for couples, PAIRS (www.pairs.com), and can facilitate Michele Weiner-Davis's Divorce Busting sessions. She has also trained with us. We encourage people to make use of her services (nsquires@sympatico.ca). Anita and Bob Armstrong of Better Together in Cleveland also attended (www.bettertogether-cleveland.org). Craig is President of the Board of Directors for this organization. Anita is now trained in PREP for disadvantaged singles and couples, and Bob trains clergy/religious leaders in administering the PREPARE/ENRICH relationship assessment and how to do couples coaching.

One topic at the conference was the importance of integrating marriage education with wedding planning. This includes couples reaching out for support with building relationships with one another's families, handling money decisions, assessing power and control dynamics, managing the spiritual/religious parts of the event, and equality/gender involvement. A wedding is usually the most public planned event families have during their lives. This can be stressful, but it is also an opportunity for growth and unity-building.

The most significant message from the conference is that there is hope for almost any relationship or marriage. Whatever your issues, there are experts, tools, and knowledge that can make a difference. Just check out www.smartmarriages.com or the Marriage Transformation resources, and you'll see what we mean. Over the next few issues of the newsletter, we will share additional insights and resources from the conference.

Loving greetings,
Craig and Susanne

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What's New!
Note: Be sure to request your favorite local bookstores
carry Pure Gold on their shelves!

Does Your Marriage Have Character?

  Helping you create a happy, lasting marriage is very important   to us. We are excited to share our newest book, Pure Gold:   Encouraging Character Qualities in Marriage (Second Edition),   with you! This revised and expanded book empowers you to   have a loving, supportive relationship that includes character   qualities such as trustworthiness, truthfulness, patience, love,   courage, generosity, and much, much more. Through engaging   activities, examples, and quotations from experts and spiritual   sources, you'll discover how more than 50 qualities support and   assist you in creating an extraordinary marriage. Retail price is $15.95. The book has been endorsed by John Covey, our "8 Habits of Successful Marriages" instructor at Smart Marriages.

What's New in the 2nd Edition? Part 1 has expanded from 32 pages to 124 pages to include extensive material about communication with a focus on character. This includes using Character Quality Language, how to engage in consultative decision-making, making effective requests, monitoring tone of voice, and much more. We added John S. Miller, a character coach from Lincoln, Nebraska, to the author team. He contributed his depth of experience with assisting couples to reduce conflict by stopping misusing character qualities (www.solvingconflicts.com). With John's assistance, Part 2, the in-depth character quality section, has been completely revised to clarify the meaning of each quality. The couple discussion questions are also more specific and accessible. Four new qualities (Discernment, Loyalty, Strength, and Unity) bring the total in the book to 56.

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Are You Prepared for Marriage?

  As you may know, our marriage preparation book Marriage Can Be   Forever--Preparation Counts! is now out-of-print. However, because   of your requests for this helpful and informative Baha'i Faith-based   book, we are now publishing it exclusively on compact disc (CD).   Included on the CD is the complete book (one printing only permitted per CD) and worksheets to work through individually, as a couple, or in a group. Plus, you'll receive these added bonuses: posters, a "What is Marriage Education?" document, and a facilitator's guide book for providing group leaders with activity ideas and materials for small and large study sessions. To see details on the amount of pages you will need to be able to print, usage restrictions, and more details about the content, see www.marriagetransformation.com/store_MCBF2_CD.htm Order your CD for only $19.95 today, click here.

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Workshop Facilitation Tip for Marriage Educators

Often people attending workshops are feeling relationship stress. It is most helpful to them if you use very specific examples of real couple situations. If you share abstract concepts, it will increase their stress level. Also, dress in a similar way as the attendees, so that you are accessible and not "higher" than them. Keep your attitude in line with being a guide, not a guru. Create fun and playful activities; participants learn best when they are having a good time.

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