Marriage Seasons 01 - It Happens Every Spring (39 page)

"Why don't I be your partner?" Brenda asked. "We could do it,
Steve. If we bought the mall, we could cancel that video store's
lease. We could bring in good tenants, people who would help the
west side of the lake grow."

"Well. . ." He brushed a wisp of hair from her cheek. "It would
be a big investment, honey. We'd have to go to a bank and get a
loan. It would be a fairly heavy debt to service. There's a lot
involved in commercial real estate. And then we would be responsible for keeping the space rented out and cleaned up."

"I could help you with that. I would enjoy it," she said. "Let's do
this, Steve."

He gave a laugh. "Are you serious?"

"She is, Steve!" Cody said. "Can't you tell? She wants to buy the
mall."

"All right," Steve told her. "I'll look into it tomorrow. We'll go
to the bank ... together."

Wearing a smile Patsy hadn't seen in ages, Brenda leaned back into her husband's embrace. "Thanks for bringing Cody home,"
she told Patsy. "Cody, it's late. Go put on your pajamas and head
out to the porch swing."

"But you said I could sleep inside your house," Cody told her.
"You did say that. You said inside the house."

"Not tonight, Cody. You sleep outside one more time." Brenda
spoke firmly, but she was looking into Steve's eyes.

He grinned and kissed her squarely on the lips, and that was
enough for Patsy. Clutching her purse under her arm, she hurried
through the front door, across the porch, down the steps, and into
her car.

As she switched on the ignition, she noticed a small square
package on the passenger seat. Odd. That hadn't been there when
she and Cody got out a few minutes before. Had the boy left it for
her?

Her heart warming, Patsy took the package and tore away the
badly folded wrapping paper. But when she lifted the lid of the box,
she knew immediately that someone else had left her the gift.
Inside sat a beautiful white teacup and matching saucer trimmed
with soft pink roses and a gold rim.

She glanced out the windshield in time to see a truck vanishing
around the curve at the upper end of Deepwater Cove. "Well,
that's one," she murmured. "But as I recall, mister, you broke a
whole shelfful."

Still, she held the cup up to the streetlight and admired the thin
bone china. It's a real antique, she thought. What a perfect beginning.

The principles and strategies illustrated in this novel are taken from The Four
Seasons of Marriage by Gary Chapman. In this book, Dr. Chapman discusses
marriage as a journey back and forth through different "seasons."

• Springtime in marriage is a time of new beginnings, new patterns of life, new
ways of listening, and new ways of loving.

• Summer couples share deep commitment, satisfaction, and security in each
other's love.

• Fall brings a sense of unwanted change and nagging emptiness appears.

• Winter means difficulty. Marriage is harder in this season of cold silence and
bitter winds.

1. In It Happens Every Spring, which season of the year is it in Deepwater Cove,
Missouri? Which season of marriage do you think Steve and Brenda Hansen
are experiencing in their marriage? What are the signs that let you know?

2. In the scene in which Brenda and Steve eat dinner together and try to make
plans for spring break (pages 69-77), they could have begun to thaw their winter marriage. What went wrong? What could each of them have said or done
differently?

3. In the same scene, Brenda's repeated references to Nick LeClair should be a
clue to Steve that trouble is afoot. Why doesn't he notice? How might it have
helped if he had? Give an example of a helpful way in which Steve could have
responded to his wife.

4. To Brenda, Steve's work schedule means he has intentionally rejected and
abandoned her and their marriage. This kind of all-or-nothing thinking is
common. Is there another way Brenda could try to look at Steve's choices?
When and how does Brenda begin to see Steve's job in a different light? Is there
a situation in your marriage where you need to try to see things in a more balanced way?

5. When Steve is walking to the dock with his daughter Jessica (page 119), he
explains his approach to solving problems in a marriage. What does he think a couple ought to do if they're having trouble? How does Jessica respond? What
does she think her parents need to do to improve their relationship? Which
one of them do you think is right? Why?

6. When Brenda visits their pastor, he asks the couple to come in for joint counseling (page 158). What do Steve and Brenda do regarding this advice? Why do
you think they chose the course of action they did? How would you respond if
given this advice? Why?

7. Kim Finley tells Charlie and Esther Moore about a time in the past when she
suffered from depression (page 232). What caused Kim's depression, and what
did she do about it? What is Esther's view of depression, and how does she
think it should be handled? Which woman do you tend to agree with? Why?

8. Strategy 1 in The Four Seasons of Marriage challenges couples to deal with past
failures. Failure alone will not destroy a marriage, but unconfessed and unforgiven failure will. Couples are urged to identify past failures, to confess and
repent, and finally to forgive. How has Steve failed Brenda? How does Brenda
fail Steve? When does each of them identify their failure? When does each confess it? When do they forgive each other? In what ways does this strategy help
Steve and Brenda begin to heal their winter marriage?

9. Strategy 3 in The Four Seasons of Marriage encourages couples to discover and
speak each other's primary love language. The five love languages are (1) words
of affirmation, (2) acts of service, (3) receiving gifts, (4) physical touch, and
(5) quality time. What is Brenda's primary love language? What is Steve's?
How is each one failing to speak the other's language? When and how do they
begin to communicate with each other through their primary love languages?

10. Strategy 5 in The Four Seasons ofMarriage urges couples to discover the joy of
helping each other succeed. Practical ways to do that include (1) offering
encouraging words, (2) taking supportive action, (3) providing emotional
support, and (4) expressing respect for your spouse. When and how do Steve
and Brenda begin to use this strategy to warm their winter marriage? In what
specific ways does each of them help the other?

11. Think about the other couples in It Happens Every Spring. Along with Brenda
and Steve Hansen, you have met Ashley and Brad Hanes, Kim and Derek
Finley, and Esther and Charlie Moore. Patsy Pringle, viewing her salon as a garden, describes the season she believes each woman is experiencing in marriage (page 37-38). From what you have learned about these marriages, would
you agree with Patsy? Why or why not?

12. Psalm 8:1-2 says, "0 Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your
glory is higher than the heavens. You have taught children and infants to tell of
your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you" (NLT). In this
book, the character of Cody is childlike in his faith and understanding. Recall
some of the truths he speaks and how they affect the other characters. What
was your favorite "Cody-ism"?

Dr. Gary Chapman is the author of The Four Seasons of Marriage, the perennial
best seller The Five Love Languages (over 3.5 million copies sold), and numerous
other marriage and family books. He is the director of Marriage & Family Life
Consultants, Inc., an internationally known speaker, and host ofA GrowingMar-
riage, a syndicated radio program heard on more than 100 stations across North
America. He and his wife, Karolyn, live in North Carolina.

Catherine Palmer lives in Missouri with her husband, Tim, and sons, Geoffrey
and Andrei. She is a graduate of Southwest Baptist University and holds a master's
degree in English from Baylor University. Her first book was published in 1988.
Since then Catherine has won numerous awards for her writing, including the
Christy Award-the highest honor in Christian fiction-in 2001 for A Touch of
Betrayal. In 2005 she was gvien the Career Achievement Award for Inspirational
Romance by Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine. More than 2 million copies
of Catherine's novels are currently in print.