Four Pillars of Shared Meaning...

In any given relationship there is a moment of truth that arises.  We ask ourselves, 

"What is it in me that is allowing this relationship to progress towards eternity?"

  Marriage has not always come easy for me.  

It takes daily commitment to see my spouse in a different and new perspective.  

A spiritual and meaningful perspective that amplifies our love and devotion to one another.

Upon marriage, we thought we shared the same rituals, roles, goals, and values.  

However, we both realized that this small town farm girl didn't exactly know how to handle the lifestyle my husband had been born and raised in.  

My husband and I had different rituals, didn't understand our roles completely, our goals were misaligned, and our values have been tested immeasurably.

It is essential to align and support the four pillars into our marriages. 

These are the four pillars of shared meaning in marriage.

Rituals

Roles

Goals

Values

After our engagement, I felt like nothing more in the world could possibly go wrong.  

After all, I was 19 years old, and I knew everything there ever was to know about life!  

I had things figured out.  

After a few years of marriage, things began to sour.  

What I thought I once understood showed that I didn't know anything at all.  

The truth was hard to accept.

My personal communication skills were non-existent, and what might have appeared to look like a soda can that if shaken, and opened abruptly,  EXPLODED...all over everything... and everyone.

I come from a background of mental illness with depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder.  

Looking back at the explosions and emotional extremes brings me hope, and

I am grateful to be here today in an eternal marriage with a new perspective.

The Savior healed our marriage in incomprehensible ways... 

Our hearts are mended and aligned in truth.

It took hitting the bottom to understand the purpose of getting to the top.  

My husband and I have endured the natural consequences of sin and sorrow.  

We all have in one way or another.  

With our marriages, it is important to identify what rituals we have established, our divine roles, common goals, and shared values.  

These things make marriage successful!

What a beautiful blessing it is to know that we have a Savior who provides a way for all of us to come back to His presence and be forgiven. 

It was through Him that my husband and I woke up from a painful nightmare, and are basking in the joy of marital reunion.  

We still have our days of disagreements, but we both know that it is vital to turn to Heavenly Father for guidance in everything we do. 

Prayer is my medication that has allowed me to properly see things from Heavenly Father's eternal perspective.