Hello everyone, I am new to this so please bare with me. I am a 28 yr old mother of two wonderful children (6 years and 7 months). I have been married to my 39 yr old husband for 7 years. Out of those 7 years we have been separated on and off 6 of those years. He has two kids from a previous marriage. I am very confused about what to do in my marriage. Sometimes I feel like there is some hope but then sometimes I just want to throw in the towel. Our relationship has gone through physical and verbal abuse. More of the verbal abuse and I dont think it will ever stop. We try to communicate but it ends up being a put down session for both. I am presently in the process of seeking counseling for my son and I. I have sought counseling in the past for myself and it gave me more self-esteem and shed light on things. Unfortunately due to work, baby, etc. I stopped going. I have been very unhappy for a long time and have communicated that to my husband but he just tells me I am full of ----. I am not even sure that I love him. I don't know if I love him for him or because he is the father of my kids and I am so used to him or because I think I cannot find anybody else if things dont work out. I am not sure of my feelings for him. I have told him this but his response is that he loves me but not the way he used to when we first got married. We have discussed counseling lately but he thinks that a complete stranger cant help us , he says we have the answers and can figure it out on our own but I say yeah that's why we have been separated probably over 20 times. I have faith in God and know that everything is possible through him but my husband doesn't believe that. I feel like God can help anybody but they need to want to be helped. I need a lot of prayer and guidance. I know that I am suppose to be an christian example but I just give up. It seems like he hinders my walk with God or is it me? I don't know???

fwolley,<P>It's pretty clear that you have serious problems with the marriage. I'm sure that you and your husband are both responsible for this. <P>If you want to do marriage counseling one last time, I'd suggest calling Steve Harley here at MarriageBuilders (888-639-1639). Steve is a terrific counselor, a great coach, an excellent motivator. The counseling is relatively inexpensive, and it's phone counseling, so it's very convenient.<P>If you like the MarriageBuilders principles and philosophies, then you can't go wrong with Steve's help. YOU should start this regardless of whether your husband agrees or not---Steve will help you with your marriage. He (along with God) worked miracles with me and my marriage, so I'd highly recommend that you make the call. <P>