Patience Donkey

(Custom Portrait by Lindsey of Out of Alabaster) 

The truth is, I am a tough gal to love. I come with benefits of loving deeply, but also with a wheelbarrow...no truck...no it is more like a shopping mall full of baggage. My baggage is not tidy enough to fit into one single parcel, it can be found in its different forms through each door that is entered and can be quite a heavy load to carry, yet this mall does not come equipped with carts, only hearts, and that is where things become tricky.

In this journey of love I am lucky to have a guy who can enter through those doors, make his purchases, find out they are not what he was expecting, yet love them anyway, a man who is patient when I am huffing and puffing away like an enraged bull and also when I am found slumped into a nook, crying like a scared child.

Unfortunate for him, it is hard for that child...that girl...this woman...me...to accept love, to fully embrace it and believe it, even when it is right in front of me. Luckily, that guy who can handle a charging bull can also handle working alongside me to figure it out. While not yet married, we have been together nearly four years, and the more time goes by the more doors are opened, but it is not a bad thing that this is happening. In fact, by opening these doors in each other we are realizing what it takes to love one another more deeply and to show it in a way that the other understands and is able to digest. We have begun our own sort of pre-marital work to make sure this partnership continues to grow and develop in a way that it can support the weight of our baggage rather than come crumbling down. We hope to put forth the work so we may become spouses, but also remain best friends as the years continue to tick away. We hope to build a relationship so strong that even when we face challenges and obstacles, we will be strong enough to surpass them hand in hand.

This journey is all new to us, but exciting, and over time I will share what I learn. Relationships are hard work, they are not easy, but rather than becoming stagnant in our love and lives, we want to be active participants who are growing each day. 

Do you have any things you do to keep your relationship strong and growing? What do you find important for keeping love alive even when the baggage becomes heavy?

Growing in Love,

Sara