Transitions in Marriage

Hello everyone! Welcome back to another one of my blog posts! It’s so crazy to think that next week is our halfway point in the semester. I think time has gone by so fast in this class because I’ve had a great time writing my blog posts each week (and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading them J) I’m super glad that this week’s topic isn’t as controversial as the past few and I hope you enjoy reading it! 

            Last week we discussed dating so…. you know what this week’s topic is about, MARRIAGE! Now, I’m not married, but I think this topic is so important for everyone no matter what point you’re at romantically. I’m not dating anyone right now and there’s not exactly any prospects at the moment, but I personally think it’s important for me to know the importance of marriage. Marriage is such an incredible and important step in our lives and hopefully we are all able to take that step at some point in our lives. It’s even more important that you really know the person you are marrying because you will spend your entire life with them. Marriage isn’t an easy thing and it’s not something that should be taken lightly or rushed in to. 

            My parents are the best examples to me, and I hope that one day I can have a relationship like theirs. It isn’t perfect, but they are a great team and I can still see the love that they have for each other after many years of marriage. My mom grew up in Utah and moved to Texas for her job after her dad passed away. My dad had been married previously, but his wife passed away from cancer after a few years of being married. My mom was single for a really long time and has shared with me how hard it was. She felt like an outcast in many situations because she was one of the only single ones. She so badly wanted to be married, but she didn’t want to settle just so that she could be married. My dad ended up moving to the stake my mom was in after his first wife passed away. They were set up by someone in the stake and very quickly fell in love. I have always loved to hear them talk about the struggles they went through before they found each other because it gives me hope. I’ve never been in a serious relationship whereas most of my friends have or have even gotten married. It’s so easy to get in my own head and think that there’s something wrong with me or that I’ll be single forever. I’m so grateful for the past few weeks because I have opened my eyes to dating and marriage. There are things that I personally need to work on before I think I can be in a serious relationship that hopefully leads to marriage. 

            In our assigned reading the following questions really stuck out to me. “Have you ever thought about the kind of person you want to marry? What kinds of qualities do you want him or her to possess? How does this compare with the kind of person you prefer to date? Are there differences?” I specifically was struck by the third question because I personally believe that it’s important to date someone who you could see yourself marrying. Why spend your time on someone who you don’t have anything in common with or is a jerk? Marriage can be hard, but when you chose someone who brings out the best in you and has qualities that are important to you, it can be an opportunity to learn and grow together.