1 year, one month and 4 days ago, I started dating my best friend. I didn't know for a while (although I had a sneaking suspicion) that I would marry him someday. On the first Sunday of the semester in September 2014, I had the idea to make cookies for about 24 apartments. It was an all day project, but I had hopes that it would pay off. My goal was just to make a lot of friends. I would take a batch fresh out of the oven, deliver to the apartment and talk to whomever was there. I did 12 girl apartments and 6 guy apartments. Jameson opened the door of one of them and seemd friendly enough and the rest of his apartment was super nice so my friends and I went to play games there often and we all became good friends. As the semester went on, the people started not coming and eventually it just became Jameson and me. We were both dating around but decided to just date each other. Because who better to date than your best friend?
We went on a lot of dates but some of the ones that stand out to me most are going to a funeral buffet and a Declan O'Rourke concert, going on a Frank Sinatra themed picnic in the school greenhouse, skipping stones on the river and just talking on the river bank, going to the sand dunes and watching the stars, and the time he played the guitar for me in a building on campus. In all honesty, most of the time while we dated, we "hung out", but we just decided to call them what they were - dates. We dated for 10 months before we married and every second of it was so important. During the winter semester 2015, we had some trials. Things just weren't going right and it made it hard for us. we saw each other at their worst and we came to love each other more completely because of it. We also were apart for most of our engagement due to job opportunities. We had to go through several hard circumstances and I am so grateful for them because, although they were hard, we were able to get to know each other more completely than many do before they marry (especially in LDS culture).
Dating is so crucial to preparing yourself for a good healthy marriage. And I really believe it is so important that every couple go through some sort of trial before they agree to marriage because it lets you see another side of a person you may not ordinarily see and you may not like. That what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Because of trials, our relationships can be strengthened.
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