The Secret to a Lasting Marriage: Embrace Imperfection
(received from ABDUL KADER" from the Winwinalways yahoogroup)
When I was a little girl, my mom liked to make breakfast
food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in
particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work.
On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage,
and extremely burned toast in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see
if anyone noticed! Yet, all my dad did was reached for his toast, smiled
at my mom, and asked me how my day was at school.
I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember
watching him smear butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite! When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said:
"Baby, I love burned toast."
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if
he really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said,
"Debbie, your mommy put in a hard day at work today and she's real
tired. And besides, a little burnt toast never hurt anyone!"
In bed that night, I thought about that scene at dinner...and the
kindness my daddy showed my mom. To this day, it's a cherished memory from my childhood that I'll never forget. And it's one that came to mind just recently when Jack and I sat down to eat dinner.
I had arrived home late...as usual...and decided we would have
breakfast food for dinner. Some things never change, I suppose!
To my amazement, I found the ingredients I needed, and quickly began
to cook eggs, turkey sausage, and buttered toast. Thinking I had things
under control, I glanced through the mail for the day. It was only a
few minutes later that I remembered that I had forgotten to take the toast out of the oven!
Now, had it been any other day -- and had we had more than two pieces
of bread in the entire house -- I would have started all over. But it had
been one of those days and I had just used up the last two pieces of
bread. So burnt toast it was!
As I set the plate down in front of Jack, I waited for a comment about
the toast. But all I got was a "Thank you!" I watched as he ate bite
by bite, all the time waiting for some comment about the toast. But
instead, all Jack said was, "Babe, this is great. Thanks for cooking
tonight. I know you had a hard day."
As I took a bite of my charred toast that night, I thought about my
mom and dad...how burnt toast hadn't been a deal-breaker for them. And I
quietly thanked God for giving me a marriage where burnt toast wasn't
a deal-breaker either!
You know, life is full of imperfect things...and imperfect people. I'm
not the best housekeeper or cook. And you might be surprised to find
out that Jack isn't the perfect husband! He likes to play his music too
loud, he will always find a way to avoid yard work, and he watches far
too many sports. Believe it or not, watching " Golf Academy " is not my
idea of a great night at home!
But somehow in the past 37 years Jack and I have learned to accept the
imperfections in each other. Over time, we have stopped trying to make each other in our own mould and have learned to celebrate our
differences. You might say that we've learned to love each other for
who we really are!
For example, I like to take my time, I'm a perfectionist, and I'm
even-tempered. I tend to work too much and sleep too little. Jack, on
the other hand, is disciplined, studious, an early riser, and is a
marketer's dream consumer. I count pennies and Jack could care less!
Where he is strong, I am weak, and vice versa.
And while you might say that Jack and I are opposites, we're also very
much alike. I can look at him and tell you what he's thinking. I can
predict his actions before he finalizes his plans. On the other hand,
he knows whether I'm troubled or not the moment I enter a room.
We share the same goals. We love the same things. And we are still
best friends. We've travelled through many valleys and enjoyed many
mountaintops. And yet, at the same time, Jack and I must work every
minute of every day to make this thing called "marriage" work!
What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each
other's faults - and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is the
one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting marriage relationship.
And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the
good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your married life and lay them at
the feet of GOD. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be
able to give you a marriage where burnt toast isn't a deal-breaker!
Have a great day! May God bless your marriage.
So have a great married life !! Feel how much married life could help us grow as human being !!! Avoid misunderstanding which causes major pitfalls and the same time, communication between each other should be always open always!!! After all we are all human beings !!!
Until next time, make it a blessed day,
Make this day good
From India, New Delhi
22(received from ABDUL KADER" from the Winwinalways yahoogroup)
When I was a little girl, my mom liked to make breakfast
food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in
particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work.
On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage,
and extremely burned toast in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see
if anyone noticed! Yet, all my dad did was reached for his toast, smiled
at my mom, and asked me how my day was at school.
I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember
watching him smear butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite! When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said:
"Baby, I love burned toast."
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if
he really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said,
"Debbie, your mommy put in a hard day at work today and she's real
tired. And besides, a little burnt toast never hurt anyone!"
In bed that night, I thought about that scene at dinner...and the
kindness my daddy showed my mom. To this day, it's a cherished memory from my childhood that I'll never forget. And it's one that came to mind just recently when Jack and I sat down to eat dinner.
I had arrived home late...as usual...and decided we would have
breakfast food for dinner. Some things never change, I suppose!
To my amazement, I found the ingredients I needed, and quickly began
to cook eggs, turkey sausage, and buttered toast. Thinking I had things
under control, I glanced through the mail for the day. It was only a
few minutes later that I remembered that I had forgotten to take the toast out of the oven!
Now, had it been any other day -- and had we had more than two pieces
of bread in the entire house -- I would have started all over. But it had
been one of those days and I had just used up the last two pieces of
bread. So burnt toast it was!
As I set the plate down in front of Jack, I waited for a comment about
the toast. But all I got was a "Thank you!" I watched as he ate bite
by bite, all the time waiting for some comment about the toast. But
instead, all Jack said was, "Babe, this is great. Thanks for cooking
tonight. I know you had a hard day."
As I took a bite of my charred toast that night, I thought about my
mom and dad...how burnt toast hadn't been a deal-breaker for them. And I
quietly thanked God for giving me a marriage where burnt toast wasn't
a deal-breaker either!
You know, life is full of imperfect things...and imperfect people. I'm
not the best housekeeper or cook. And you might be surprised to find
out that Jack isn't the perfect husband! He likes to play his music too
loud, he will always find a way to avoid yard work, and he watches far
too many sports. Believe it or not, watching " Golf Academy " is not my
idea of a great night at home!
But somehow in the past 37 years Jack and I have learned to accept the
imperfections in each other. Over time, we have stopped trying to make each other in our own mould and have learned to celebrate our
differences. You might say that we've learned to love each other for
who we really are!
For example, I like to take my time, I'm a perfectionist, and I'm
even-tempered. I tend to work too much and sleep too little. Jack, on
the other hand, is disciplined, studious, an early riser, and is a
marketer's dream consumer. I count pennies and Jack could care less!
Where he is strong, I am weak, and vice versa.
And while you might say that Jack and I are opposites, we're also very
much alike. I can look at him and tell you what he's thinking. I can
predict his actions before he finalizes his plans. On the other hand,
he knows whether I'm troubled or not the moment I enter a room.
We share the same goals. We love the same things. And we are still
best friends. We've travelled through many valleys and enjoyed many
mountaintops. And yet, at the same time, Jack and I must work every
minute of every day to make this thing called "marriage" work!
What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each
other's faults - and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is the
one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting marriage relationship.
And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the
good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your married life and lay them at
the feet of GOD. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be
able to give you a marriage where burnt toast isn't a deal-breaker!
Have a great day! May God bless your marriage.
So have a great married life !! Feel how much married life could help us grow as human being !!! Avoid misunderstanding which causes major pitfalls and the same time, communication between each other should be always open always!!! After all we are all human beings !!!
Until next time, make it a blessed day,
Make this day good
From India, New Delhi
Dear Mr. Hari
What a nice contribution ? Half way through my eyes became moist.
In my parenting sessions, I always say, "The greatest thing a Dad can do for his children is to love and respect their mother."
This story will supplement my sessions in a big way.
Regards,
Sunil Chandra
From India, Gurgaon
What a nice contribution ? Half way through my eyes became moist.
In my parenting sessions, I always say, "The greatest thing a Dad can do for his children is to love and respect their mother."
This story will supplement my sessions in a big way.
Regards,
Sunil Chandra
From India, Gurgaon
really nice to learn...this msg is not only meant to b read but to b applied in each onez life. Fwd this story to all ur frienz by thus making this world a betr place to live .
From India, Delhi
From India, Delhi
Good post! Highly effective guiding message for working couples. "Expect less & sacrifice more to have happy married life" Chidanand
From India, Bangalore
From India, Bangalore
I Really Liked the Post. Its something which people need to learn at present. A very good lesson to learn from and also to implement. . .
From India, Gurgaon
From India, Gurgaon
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