sages encoded in our brain telling us who our ideal mate is. This lovemap is set in childhood and supposedly starts floating around in our brain by the time we are 8. It tells us our likes and dislikes in a mate, from hair color to personality. It’s primarily determined by our first love—Mom aFlowers, candy or a brick….how will you celebrate this Valentine’s Day? If you are fortunate, you’ll enjoy a traditional candle light dinner, trinkets and dessert. However, if your relationship is on the rocks (and I don’t mean diamonds) you might search to see if there is a brick in your life…

A brick you ask? There is a legend emanating from the Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929. History was made when 7 of Bugs Moran’s gangsters were brutally gunned down in a red brick warehouse on Clark Street in Chicago. The crime was never solved, the site became a tourist trap, and eventually the building was demolished. The crime scene’s bricks, minus those stolen by construction workers, were sold for a $1000 each. Legend has it that anyone who came in contact with these bricks, even the stolen ones, was stricken with bad luck in the form of illness, financial ruin, divorce and even death. The bricks came to be known as having a cursed, negative energy.

Like the warehouse on Clark Street, events beyond our control can alter our future. Love is still a mystery and there are many theories. I tend to agree with John Money’s ‘lovemap’ theory that we each have messages encoded in our brain telling us who our ideal mate is. This lovemap is set in childhood and supposedly starts floating around in our brain by the time we are 8. It tells us our likes and dislikes in a mate, from hair color to personality. It’s primarily determined by our first love—Mom an

…

A brick you ask? There is a legend emanating from the Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929. History was made when 7 of Bugs Moran’s gangsters were brutally gunned down in a red brick warehouse on Clark Street in Chicago. The crime was never solved, the site became a tourist trap, and eventually the building was demolished. The crime scene’s bricks, minus those stolen by construction workers, were sold for a $1000 each. Legend has it that anyone who came in contact with these bricks, even the stolen ones, was stricken with bad luck in the form of illness, financial ruin, divorce and even death. The bricks came to be known as having a cursed, negative energy.

Like the warehouse on Clark Street, events beyond our control can alter our future. Love is still a mystery and there are many theories. I tend to agree with John Money’s ‘lovemap’ theory that we each have messages encoded in our brain telling us who our ideal mate is. This lovemap is set in childhood and supposedly starts floating around in our brain by the time we are 8. It tells us our likes and dislikes in a mate, from hair color to personality. It’s primarily determined by our first love—Mom a

tually the building was demolished. The crime scene’s bricks, minus those stolen by construction workers, were sold for a $1000 each. Legend has it that anyone who came in contact with these bricks, even the stolen ones, was stricken with bad luck in the form of illness, financial ruin, divorce and even death. The bricks came to be known as having a cursed, negative energy.

Like the warehouse on Clark Street, events beyond our control can alter our future. Love is still a mystery and there are many theories. I tend to agree with John Money’s ‘lovemap’ theory that we each have messages encoded in our brain telling us who our ideal mate is. This lovemap is set in childhood and supposedly starts floating around in our brain by the time we are 8. It tells us our likes and dislikes in a mate, from hair color to personality. It’s primarily determined by our first love—Mom a

nd even death. The bricks came to be known as having a cursed, negative energy.

Like the warehouse on Clark Street, events beyond our control can alter our future. Love is still a mystery and there are many theories. I tend to agree with John Money’s ‘lovemap’ theory that we each have messages encoded in our brain telling us who our ideal mate is. This lovemap is set in childhood and supposedly starts floating around in our brain by the time we are 8. It tells us our likes and dislikes in a mate, from hair color to personality. It’s primarily determined by our first love—Mom a

sages encoded in our brain telling us who our ideal mate is. This lovemap is set in childhood and supposedly starts floating around in our brain by the time we are 8. It tells us our likes and dislikes in a mate, from hair color to personality. It’s primarily determined by our first love—Mom and her attributes. Dad plays a role too, in that we tend to model how he treats Mom.

So, my advice: get to know your significant other’s family well and study the interactions. Metaphorically speaking, you’ll get to know the building’s history, brick by brick, and it will give you a mirror into your future. That was my father’s advice which regretfully, in my youthful wisdom, I chose to ignore.

The fortunate can work on their relationship and reap the rewards of togetherness. But for some of us, hard as we try, we have to face letting the relationship go because of abuse, infidelity, financial ruin, addiction or mental illness. In these instances we can try our best to find a solution, but the marriage can not survive unless the afflicted partner takes responsibility and gets needed help. Giving up the “happily ever after” dream is devastating, especially if children are involved. But if we do so, and take time out to examine how we got entangled in a destructive relationship, we can heal our wounds and then get a second chance at building a new, healthy romance.

Hopefully you will never have to experience divorce, but if you must, I implore you t