The third book the Eyres ever wrote was called The Discovery of Joy and it set the tone and the theme for much of their subsequent writing. In today's show, Richard and Linda tell the story behind that book and present the case that the pursuit of the deepest joys can become the foundation of family life and the key to lasting marriages and successful kids.

This week the Eyres continue their series on the core message of each of their 50 published books on family, parenting, marriage, and life balance. This is the second week in the series, and the focus is on their second book, titled RELATIONSHIPS, With Self, With Family, and With God.

The prime message of the book is that relationships are more important than achievements and deserve an equal or greater amount of time and mental energy. While achievement goals are often set with numbers and percentages and quantitative measurement, relationship goals are set with descriptive paragraphs about what you want a particular relationship (with spouse, or a child, or with God) to be like in five years.

Those who deliberately change their priorities from achievements to relationships will find ways to improve the one thing that, late in life, everyone wishes they had spent more time and effort on--the key RELATIONSHIPS of their life.

If, after listening to this podcast, you find yourself interested in the concepts of this book, you can get it for free on EyresFreeBooks.com.

This week the Eyres continue their series on the core message of each of their 50 published books on family, parenting, marriage, and life balance. This is the second week in the series, and the focus is on their second book, titled RELATIONSHIPS, With Self, With Family, and With God.

The prime message of the book is that relationships are more important than achievements and deserve an equal or greater amount of time and mental energy. While achievement goals are often set with numbers and percentages and quantitative measurement, relationship goals are set with descriptive paragraphs about what you want a particular relationship (with spouse, or a child, or with God) to be like in five years.

Those who deliberately change their priorities from achievements to relationships will find ways to improve the one thing that, late in life, everyone wishes they had spent more time and effort on--the key RELATIONSHIPS of their life.

If, after listening to this podcast, you find yourself interested in the concepts of this book, you can get it for free on EyresFreeBooks.com.

This week's show begins a series by the Eyres on the main concepts from their 50 published books, all of which take aim at strengthening families. The books covered in this series are free at EyresFreeBooks.com. Each week during this series, Richard and Linda will summarize the main thrust of one their publications, summarizing the points it makes about parenting, marriage and life-balance. 50 is a big number for the Eyres this year, as a new grandson became the 50th member of their family and as they celebrate their 50th anniversary this month.

The first of Linda and Richard Eyre's 50 books was published in 1972 while Richard was a graduate student at Harvard, and was co-authored with Paul H. Dunn. It went through dozens of printings and sold in the hundreds of thousands. It has two front covers, one titled I Challenge You and the other titled I Promise You. A reader can start from the challenge side and read one of the 21 challenges, and then flip the book over to read the corresponding promise that follows the challenge. Sample challenges: To write your diary in advance, to be gentle with yourself, to forge a joyful family.

From the promise side, one can read the promise desired, and then flip the book over to read the challenge that leads to that promise. Sample promises: That you will have a secret smiling of the heart, that you will learn to like yourself, that you will see more clearly the right forks in your life's road.

This week's show begins a series by the Eyres on the main concepts from their 50 published books, all of which take aim at strengthening families. The books covered in this series are free at EyresFreeBooks.com. Each week during this series, Richard and Linda will summarize the main thrust of one their publications, summarizing the points it makes about parenting, marriage and life-balance. 50 is a big number for the Eyres this year, as a new grandson became the 50th member of their family and as they celebrate their 50th anniversary this month.

The first of Linda and Richard Eyre's 50 books was published in 1972 while Richard was a graduate student at Harvard, and was co-authored with Paul H. Dunn. It went through dozens of printings and sold in the hundreds of thousands. It has two front covers, one titled I Challenge You and the other titled I Promise You. A reader can start from the challenge side and read one of the 21 challenges, and then flip the book over to read the corresponding promise that follows the challenge. Sample challenges: To write your diary in advance, to be gentle with yourself, to forge a joyful family.

From the promise side, one can read the promise desired, and then flip the book over to read the challenge that leads to that promise. Sample promises: That you will have a secret smiling of the heart, that you will learn to like yourself, that you will see more clearly the right forks in your life's road.

FAMILY REUNIONS.... What are they really? Just a time to get together and grill up some food and have a good time? Or are they something more than that? Can they be the glue that holds families together and that makes cousins more than friends? The Eyres share their family reunion experiences and how it has strengthened their family bonds.

FAMILY REUNIONS.... What are they really? Just a time to get together and grill up some food and have a good time? Or are they something more than that? Can they be the glue that holds families together and that makes cousins more than friends? The Eyres share their family reunion experiences and how it has strengthened their family bonds.

If we look at statistics, the prospects of marriage in today's world look pretty bleak. Divorce rates are high, and marriage rates continue to drop while the numbers for cohabitation without marriage continue to rise. But as the Eyres travel the world, they see a counter trend that is much more positive. There has never been a better time to forge a great marriage!

If we look at statistics, the prospects of marriage in today's world look pretty bleak. Divorce rates are high, and marriage rates continue to drop while the numbers for cohabitation without marriage continue to rise. But as the Eyres travel the world, they see a counter trend that is much more positive. There has never been a better time to forge a great marriage!

Equality in marriage can sound like a good goal to start with, but can sometimes lead to score-keeping in the house. Relationships are about striving for the same goal together with one purpose where two people can contribute different things. Today the Eyres share how they've been able to complete each other, not compete, in their marriage over the years.