Several years ago, our family (Ren & I, along with our girls) joined two other families for a ballroom dance class. There were just enough boys for the amount of girls we had.  As we “attempted’ to dance, I was struck by the story each pair of dancers conveyed. We had the young partners who were just discovering the joys of being in the presence of the opposite sex.  To even hold the hand of their partner was fun.  Every fiber in their being was paying attention to what was happening- or what needed to happen to make this dance work. We had the parents- all of us married different lengths of time,    focusing on learning the moves, but also struggling with communicating on the dance floor.  It was enjoyable, but usually one partner was trying harder than the other.  One partner was getting the steps more easily than the other.  It made for jerky and awkward movement around the dance floor. I began to see in our own dance how Ren and I were dealing with issues on the dance floor that were similar to our marriage relationship. Ren was working so hard to do it right- I just wanted to have fun! The difference in philosophy definitely affects the grace- or ungrace- with which you ‘float romantically around the room.” HA! I whispered in Rennie’s ear, “This would be great premarital counseling for couples.”   He just laughed and said, “left, quick, quick, right, quick, quick”. So much for that!!! But when Green Hope Coaching began, and I saw the need couples had for some easier ways to have the harder discussions, I realized that GHC could build a platform for couples on the dance floor.  Oh, I never intend for it to be a show place or a reality TV show.  But a space for couples to enjoy each other’s presence while identifying what works for them- and what doesn’t – on and off the dance floor. Our signature event, CELEBRATE THE DANCE was introduced. Several times a year, Rennie & I partner with Tanya & Doug Shafner of Tanya’s School of Dance in Lima and invite area couples to join us for one hour of ballroom dance lessons with one hour of group/ couple conversation about what we learned about our marriage dance. Here are some of the comments we have heard: “How did you know what questions to ask?  I didn’t think my husband was capable of saying something like that to me- or about me?  Thank you!  It was so special to me to hear him say those words. ” “I never knew how much I was fighting against my spouse. Neither of us see any progress that way.  If we worked together, we both got where we wanted to be and enjoyed the process.” “Who would have thought having the hard conversation could be so much fun!  I was dreading this- but it was really enjoyable.” One husband said, “I only came because I knew my wife would love this.  But I’ll have to admit, the benefit of honoring her in this was worth it all the way around.” So… Here’s your invitation to the Dance! CELEBRATE YOUR DANCE! June 8th, 2014 at 3:00pm at Tanya’s School of Dance, Lima, Ohio To register, click the link. We want to DANCE! Make a date with your sweetheart and join Ren and I for a enjoyable afternoon with other couples who want to grown their marriages also. Guys, Doug Schafner of Tanya’s School of Dance said to tell you, “If you can learn a football play, you can learn to dance. Besides, if your lady loves it- you will too!” How about it?  Celebrate the Dance is all about helping each of us Become One- on and off the dance floor!