This post is part of the Happy Wives Club Blog Tour which I am delighted to be a part of along with hundreds of inspiring bloggers. To learn more and join us, click here!
We had begun the adventure of a lifetime, and now we had some mountains to climb. I was a hothead. Yep, I had quite the temper, and my mouth could easily get the better of me if I didn’t watch myself. One of the things that my mom always loved about D was that he mellowed me out due to his more laid back personality. (He’s very opinionated and stubborn, but he’s not quick to anger which helped greatly in those early years.) Sadly, my temper lead to more than one argument that could have been easily avoided if I would have just kept my mouth shut, but the good thing that came out of it was that I learned to apologize which lead to better communication between the two of us.
Note from D: When dealing with differences or arguments, it’s important to understand the root of the issue rather than just focusing on the superficial or symptoms. Sometimes, you just need to let things go at the moment, and then later, when both spouses are calm, start addressing the true issues.
D accepted me the way I was and didn’t try to change me, but over time, I did change. At our dress rehearsal, when it came time to practice our vows, family and friends giggled a bit as the “submit” part of the vow was said by me. I just didn’t have that type of personality, but I knew that it was something that was needed to make our marriage a success. It was something that, at first, was a struggle, but over time became easier because D made it easy by respecting me and my opinions. He valued me and loved me for who I was.
Change didn’t happen overnight by either of us, but we were committed to developing a strong marriage. He learned to put me first. I learned to be more flexible. Compromise began to take place and our relationship continued to grow. That commitment to a lasting marriage meant learning how to make things work and adjusting how we approached decisions.
Just as we started to really figure things out, our sweet baby girl made her appearance into our lives which created new challenges. Sleep deprivation, long work hours, school, and tight finances could have been a recipe for disaster, but thankfully, a foundation had been laid to allow us to work our way through this valley. We didn’t always make the best choices, but at least we were making them together. Looking back, much of this time period is a blur, but it was during these months that we started to honestly understand the value of commitment to each other, our family, our faith, our marriage as well as the importance of constant communication.
Fawn Weaver, the founder of the Happy Wives Club, took a journey to find the secrets to a happy, healthy marriage that lasts a lifetime. Her journey also became a time of personal discovery and reflection. The resulting book is a beautiful story filled with hope as happy marriages really do exist all over the world. You can grab a copy here.
Happy Wives Club Our Marriage Series:
- Part 1: The Adventure of a Lifetime 1/1/14
- Part 2: The Value of Commitment and Communication 1/2/14
- Part 3: Priorities 1/3/14
- Part 4: Trust and Encouragement 1/4/14
- Part 5: Faith 1/5/14
- Part 6: It’s the Little Things That Matter 1/6/14
- Part 7: Happy Wives Club Book Review 1/7/14
