A couple engaged in a tense, heated argument, illustrating warning signs of relationship conflict.

MarriageNever Marry a Man Who Shows These Warning Signs DatingMen Who Actually Want to Be Faithful Almost Always Stay Away from These Things DatingThings Women Should Never Do for a Man

A joyful older couple hugging and smiling, reflecting the happiness found in second marriages later in life.

All Love Notes

Woman pulling away with a frustrated expression as a man reaches for her, illustrating a lack of respect in a relationship.

Dating

A giant unsorted pile of clothes shows just how overwhelming a decluttering fail can get.

Family

An older man gazes affectionately at a younger woman, hinting at the dynamic of leaving a wife for someone younger.

Marriage

From the Kitchen

welcome to the nest

Real Talk About Love, Marriage and Life After the Kids Leave Home

I'm Linda. When the last of our three kids moved out, Tom and I had to figure out how to be just us again. It turned out to be one of the most surprising seasons of our marriage, the good parts and the hard parts both. This is where I write about all of it, honestly. What keeps a long marriage warm, the small things that quietly pull couples apart, what men and women wish the other understood, and how to date your spouse again when the house finally gets quiet.

Meet Linda Read the Love Notes

love, marriage and everything after

Newest Notes on Love

Honest lessons from over thirty years with Tom, and from the couples who made it to fifty.

All relationship posts

Family

Smart Ways to Handle Inherited Family Stuff Without Guilt

The weekend after the leaves were done, Tom went down to the basement for the folding chairs and came back up holding…

12 min read

Dating

Women Over 35 Reveal the Age Gap They’ll Actually Date, and Some Answers Will Surprise You

My friend Donna sat at my kitchen table on a Tuesday morning and stirred her coffee for a long time without drinking…

12 min read

An adult daughter speaks earnestly to her emotional mother, reflecting a heartfelt moment of apology between parent and child.

Family

Apologies Your Adult Children Still Need to Hear from You

Our oldest said something to me at Sunday dinner this winter that I have not been able to shake. We were clearing…

10 min read

Couple embracing in a romantic silhouette above city lights, a scene that looks like a fairy tale but hides harsher truths about love.

Dating

The Harsh Truths About Love That Movies and Fairy Tales Completely Lied to You About

The grandkids were here last weekend, and one of them picked the movie. It was a princess one. There was a castle,…

10 min read

A couple engaged in a heated argument in their kitchen, illustrating relationship conflict over unreasonable demands.

Relationships

If Your Partner Demands These Things from You, I Think It’s Time You Walk Away

Last February a storm kept us inside for most of a week. My husband Tom shoveled the walk twice a day and…

11 min read

A couple lies in bed turned away from each other, the woman's guarded expression hinting at underlying mistrust.

Relationships

If a Woman Cannot Be Trusted, You’ll Know It When You Hear Her Say These 15 Phrases on Repeat

My husband Tom rakes leaves on Saturday mornings. He has done that every fall for more than thirty years. This October I…

11 min read

Love that lastswhat long marriages do differently

The empty nestbeing just us again

Understanding himwhat men rarely say out loud

Date night ideassweet plans that cost little

Dating

What men and women notice, what they quietly hope for and the signs that someone is truly interested, from a woman who has watched a lot of love stories unfold.

Marriage

Lessons from a long marriage: the small habits that keep love warm, the warning signs worth noticing and how couples find each other again after the busy years.