In the early days of our marriage, an unexpected encounter at church introduced us to Wally and Nancy Goddard, a couple with hearts full of wisdom and a home filled with love. They weren’t just a couple in their late forties; they embodied decades of marital and family wisdom that they generously shared with us.
One of the first things we noticed when we first entered their home was the absence of a television and the central presence of a large table for gathering. They also had shelves full of books, toys, and cherished photographs. All of this communicated that relationships and connections took precedence over fleeting distractions.
Sitting at their wooden table enjoying chips and salsa, we loved learning from Wally’s expansive knowledge about relationships, given his background as a family studies professor. We learned so much from both of them as they shared research findings, but also their testimonies of how the great truths of the Restored Gospel can bless families.
Although we both came from loving families, the insights we garnered from the Goddards became an important foundation of our newlywed journey. Wally and Nancy’s dedication towards their marital life was inspiring. It wasn’t just about living together but living with great purpose and intention.
We eventually moved away to graduate school so Geoff could complete his degree as a marriage and family therapist. Gratefully, we’ve continued to stay in touch with Wally and Nancy Goddard over the past 25 years. We’ve revisited many of our conversations and continued sharing and learning from each other.
And, like you, we’ve experienced countless surprises and challenges in marriage and family life over the past 25-plus years. However, we keep returning to many of the same principles we learned in our kitchen table discussions with the Goddards. We believe that inspiration not only comes through the teachings of the Savior shared by ancient and modern prophets, but also through the light revealed to clinical and academic researchers who want to bless families. Thankfully, there are beautiful parallels between these worlds that can bless us as we struggle to stay connected to our most important relationships.
And now, as we mark significant milestones – our 25th and the Goddard’s 50th wedding anniversaries, we desire to share these same truths that have fortified our marital and familial bonds. Our intent is simple: We want to invite others to experience the family joy that’s possible when combining quality research with powerful gospel truths.
We recently visited each other in our homes to film us sharing many of these same truths that have blessed our marriages and families. We’ve put all of this together in a collection called Great Truths. In addition, we’ve created a beautiful companion workbook to help you follow along with us and personalize your learning.
We’ve organized these discussions as follows:
Personal Well-Being: Developing a Flourishing Relationship With Yourself
- Savor the Present: When we notice and appreciate the people and blessings God puts in our lives, we flourish.
- Cherish Your Past: When we shape our life stories in thanks to God and good people, we flourish.
- Embrace Your Future: When we use optimism and faith, we live with greater peace and purpose.
- Know and Use Your Strengths: Life becomes purposeful as we use our strengths.
- Find Ways to Serve: Loving and ministering create meaningful lives.
Marriage: Develop a Flourishing Relationship With Your Spouse
- Be a Vibrant Person: When we feel good, we bring more to our marriages.
- Show Your Commitment: Love is more than a feeling; it is a commitment that changes our actions and strengthens our relationships.
- Nurture Your Marriage: When we provide wise and consistent care, our marriages flourish.
- Understand Your Spouse’s World: When we get beyond our guesses and assumptions to know our spouses’ worlds, we can connect and support.
- Deal with the Challenges in Healthy Ways: When we make creative rather than destructive use of our differences, our relationships grow.
Parenting: Develop a Flourishing and Strengthening Relationship with Your Children
- Be a Vibrant Person: When we feel good, we bring more to our parenting.
- Practice Compassion: Entering our children’s emotional world will change our parenting and our children’s well-being.
- Nurture Your Children Effectively: When we nurture effectively, we build a relationship and strengthen our children.
- Guide Your Children Toward Balance: When we teach our children to use their agency well, they become stronger, more capable people.
- Have a Heavenly Purpose: When we discern God’s purposes in parenting, we will be more effective.
We sure wish we could sit at the table with every one of you to share great food and great conversation about the essential truths that matter in our most important relationships! We are grateful for the blessings of technology that allows us to share these powerful truths with you.
We hope you’ll join us as we explore these principles to build thriving relationships! We know it’s possible to foster peace in your family and bestow a legacy of love for future generations.
The Great Truths video series and workbook bundle are available for $39 at https://www.geoffsteurer.com/great-truths (Gift certificates are also available for purchase)
