Lessons Learned: The Secrets of a Happy Marriage
You might think that the owners of a business running highly effective Marriage Retreats would be immune from marital challenges and have learned all the lessons there are to be learned. Not so. Our marriage relationship has been and always will be a work in progress. We continue to stumble; we continue to learn.
The learning is not always as elegant as we might wish for. Our climb to higher ground sometimes has resembled the stumbling and bumbling of the Three Stooges, but climb we have and how very fine are the vistas and pure air of those peaks we have attained.
During the recent busyness of the Holidays Margo and I found ourselves knocked a bit off track in our relationship, sometimes feeling like ships passing in the night, somewhat disconnected. Fortunately we know what it feels like to have our “hearts knitted together as one” and so we recognized the drift and the discomfort of emotional distance in the relationship. Old lessons that we sometimes forget and have to relearn surfaced again. But what a relief to be able to identify what was wrong and to trust one another to do and be what was required to come fully back together.
The difference between you and us might only be that we manage to enjoy the journey, even the inevitable trying times, of our most important relationship. With time and effort our commitment has become strong, our hearts secure, and our tool kit effective, so that no problem seems insurmountable, no obstacle unclimbable. Since divorce was long ago removed as an option we smile at our humanness and our weakness and move forward, secure in the knowledge that we will always be there for one another, that weaknesses can be turned into strengths, and that tomorrow is another day with new opportunities.
As part of the New Year we will share here in the coming weeks some of the rules and lessons we have learned, hopefully with a sense of optimism and a twinkle in our eyes. Your relationship, no matter where it currently is, in the perfect spot to begin a new and joyful journey. We hope that what we offer here will be of help to you on that journey.
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