They are just socks!!!

Almost 9 years ago I made a smart choice, to put myself out there and go on a date with the man I would then marry 2 1/2 yrs later. Well, we are far from “marriage experts” but in our short 6 years of marriage we have learned A LOT! Like what it takes to be and stay married, as we were ready for divorce after only the 1st year. I often look back to where we were. Lost, miserable, not in love and ready to pack it in. Now we have a purpose. We are happy, and choose to love each other every day. That’s right, I said CHOOSE! We often think of being in love as the warm fuzzy feelings you get when they walk in the room, or the sounds of their voice saying your name (sigh). Well, those are great things to feel and yes sometimes I still get those fuzzy feelings that make me want to just turn into a little giddy school girl, but life is not like that all the time. As busy people in our Church, parents of 2 great kids, employees, a daughter and a son, life is busy and doesn’t always allow for fuzzy feelings when you are talking about budgets, how many poopy bums the baby had and how work was (so glamorous this life is). I learned early on that it’s the small things that make a relationship. A big problem that would cause a complete meltdown in our relationship would be if I left my socks on the side of the bed. When I crawled into bed and threw my socks onto my side of the bed on the floor, Mark would lose it like I just threw out his old favorite t shirt. (As a side note, this shirt has more holes in it that a piece of swiss cheese – but Mark still loves it) Which my response would be “you’re crazy and its not a big deal, ITS JUST SOCKS! No one is going to die or get hurt from these socks!!” Well these next words that were spoken to me by a couple we have tremendous respect for changed my view forever, “throwing your socks on the floor is hurting your husband, so yes it is hurting someone!” OUCH!!!!!!!!!!! It’s the small things, like picking up your socks that can let your marriage be great or choose to ignore the small things and wonder why one day you feel like you’re waking up to someone who feels like a stranger. From that day on I have made an effort to pick up my socks and I might chuckle to myself thinking this is crazy but I would rather think this was crazy and do it, then just let them sit there and watch my marriage stink like those socks!