In 1996 I received a call from the head of the publishing company that was in the final stages of putting the manuscript for my book on collaborative partnering skills, The Power of Two, into print.

"I want to let you know that we're changing the sub-title. Instead of Secrets to a Strong and Loving Marriage we want to make it Secrets to a Strong and Loving Relationship," my publisher told me. "The M-word is out of fashion. No one talks about marriage any more, here in California especially."

I was appalled. I tried to calm my pounding heart enough to sound businesslike. "Actually, I believe in marriage. I remember what it was like in my twenties to be in relationships. I'm very grateful to be married. The Power of Two is about strengthening marriages."

To his credit, my publisher submitted to my insistence. Marriage indeed has remained what the subtitle of The Power of Two proudly proclaims.

At the same time, my publisher's wakeup call alerted me to the reality that by the mid '90's the institution of marriage had indeed become an endangered species. The average age of marriage was creeping upwards. The percentage of marriages ending in divorce was steadily climbing upwards. Marriage was becoming a dinosaur.

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