Remember when you thought you met the mate of your dreams? You couldn't stop thinking about her / him. The sun shone more brightly. Love songs on the radio seemed like they were written just for the two of you. You loved doing things to please this person. You would sit around for hours talking about anything and laughing about the same things. Maybe at times it seemed like you knew exactly what they were thinking; you were totally in sync. Everything seemed to fit so perfectly.

But after a while the honeymoon stage seems to wear off. You might wake up one day and think, is this all there is? Have we grown apart or become different people? Maybe you have wondered if you're even in love anymore of if your mate still loves you. Maybe you have found that you have many conflicting ideas about the important things, like finances, child rearing, sex, careers and the list could go on and on.

We get so busy with our jobs, families, paying bills and all of the mundane activities of every day life. Maybe you find out the two of you were not as in sync as you might have thought. Over fifty percent of marriages end in divorce. What may have seemed like small potatoes when you first got together could have a way of becoming catastrophic and what seems to be unbearable later on.

Relationships can be very trying! Misunderstandings, hurt feelings, betrayal, and loneliness are things that should not be swept under the rug. It's so easy for people to say, you need to communicate with your mate. Who does't know that? The problem for many is HOW? How do you mend all the broken fences? How do you express what's really going on inside of you? How do you get your mate to open up and share his or her feelings with you?

Before you throw in the towel, there are some things you should know. There are ways to learn to communicate and handle situations EFFECTIVELY. You may be amazed at the difference it can make in a relationship when issues are approached the right way. If you already have a great relationship, there are ways it can even be better. Relationships are like flowers-if they are watered and taken care of, they will bloom and grow. If they are neglected, they can and more than likely will wither and die.