Differences can be similar...

My husband, Dave, and I both Scots in our backgrounds, but mine also goes farther back to German and Vikings from Norway. So I liked the quote because I know that sometimes I'm more of a thorn haunting my husband than blessing him! Our teaching elder says that part of the role of a spouse is that God uses them in our refinement. Not that we have to be a painful partner to our better halves, but that we naturally are. No matter how perfect we are for each other, there simply are days where, even those madly in love with each other, will be a bit of a pill for the other to swallow!

Dave and I were a little surprised at how different we were even though, as Dave would always put it, we were from the same socio-economic background. Who knew two families could be the same and yet so different! We were both raised in the mainline Presbyterian denomination. In that we found the most similarities! We left it together with no argument. We rather liked the absolutes they denied. But I digress.

My in-laws were always very sweet and very welcoming to me. They almost gushed sometimes---very demonstrative. And that was fine. Yet somehow their manner was very formal. One may take off their coat and stay awhile, but don't even think of kicking off your shoes! And that's okay. Dave found my family much more relaxed. When my folks relaxed, they kicked their shoes off, put their feet up, and fell asleep right there in the chair! It took Dave a little while to understand that before they did that they had accomplished many tasks or activities. When it came time to relax, they were ready! When one visited his folks they were entertained with tours or movies. If there was some where you wanted to go, my folks would take you, but unless you asked for it, they didn't make arrangements for you. Besides, Granddaddy had so many interesting things there, no one wanted to go anywhere. So we were raised surprisingly different.

When the children came, we learned we had the same goals, but planned different routes! What was really crazy was that we'd even talked about it and were on the same page. What we daring split when we really weren't, our children are really neat people anyway. I think God has honored our efforts, and of course, He's been at work too. Probably had idn't know was that we were in different books! But what's so cool, for all our surprises and appeto work overtime for us, but He's always been at work. I love Him.

He gave me a great guy. For all our differences (and there were many more!), and I think we've really helped each other grow in the Lord because of it, we nevertheless have had a beautiful 25 years.

The only thing my life lacks is grandchildren! And now the Lord is teaching me patience......