You know those love stories that stop you in your tracks? The opportunity to share those stories–the ones that make our hearts leap, make us hopeful, and remind us that love never fails–is one of the greatest privileges of working at Southern Weddings. Our friend Katie of Thomas Nelson (where Lara’s book is being published) has one of those stories, and we were so grateful for the advice she shared with us in V6. She recently shared even more of her love story on Real Simple, and I highly encourage y’all to take a few minutes over your coffee this morning to give it a read!
My husband suffered a spinal cord injury a decade before we met, leaving him wheelchair-bound and meaning that I would be a spousal caregiver from day one. While we were dating, we established a reciprocal rule of communication: Bryce has to ask for help when he needs it, and I have to ask questions when I don’t understand aspects of his care and abilities. Our natural tendencies often steer us in the opposite directions–he’s a strong, kind-hearted man who wants to do as much as possible for himself and for me, and I’m a strong-willed, independent woman who wants to believe that I’ve “got this” with little help or explanation. But that’s not what God intended marriage to look like, for us or for anyone. Giving over to that vulnerability is hard, but it’s beautiful. The moments I’ve felt closest to my amazing husband are those marked by some of the hardest circumstances, when we simply surrender, admitting to each other and to our loving God that we cannot rely on our own strength. Oh, and my sweet hubby adds this nugget of marriage wisdom: “You don’t need separate sinks; you need separate bathrooms. Period.” True story!
[…] of advice on the Southern Weddings blog this year. We reached out to Kitti Murray at our friend Katie‘s suggestion, and when we read Kitti’s words of wisdom, we were so overjoyed that we […]