Last fall, Willy and I went to a couples retreat in Tremblant, QC hosted by Family Life (highly recommended by both Willy and I by the way). One of the exercises they had us do was to write a letter to each other. They gave some suggestions of what to write, which was helpful. I was surprised by how similar our letters were to each other in that they were the perfect inverse.
I told him that this one thing drove me crazy when we were first married.
This one thing, I was a little worried about.
This one thing, had even caused me to burst into tears in the middle of a conversation.
But this one thing was also the characteristic that challenged me in a good way. It made me think a little differently.
I grew as a person because of this one thing.
I smiled as I read his letter to me out loud because he said a lot of the same things.
That one thing drove him crazy when we were first married.
That one thing about me worried him.
That one thing made him wonder if I would harm our relationship.
That one thing was the exact characteristic that I was re-evaluating, inching a little closer to his complete opposite, all the while he was inching a little closer to my complete opposite.
He was growing because of that one thing.
In just over a year of marriage we were already becoming more understanding, more gracious.
Thanks to Willy, I:
- am learning that it’s not about the nail (we’re the opposite of this video!)
- understand the power of words and am learning to choose them wisely in all circumstances
- have more hope for humanity. He is more loving, generous, and committed than I thought even existed these days
- am learning how to love my family more and be nicer
He pushes me to be better; there’s this sweet safe spot where I know I can trust him, even if it seems scary.
There’s no one I would rather be with on this Bucket List Journey.
