I Was Embarrassed!
The other day, Cyndi was in the attic looking for pictures, and she came across letters from the early months of our courting. She was living in Detroit at the time—training with Northwest Airlines—and later in Boston where she was based. I was in the first year of my ministry at Chapel Hill.
“Let’s read these letters,” she suggested. So we sat on the bed that night and plowed through them. I was mortified! I cannot believe how clingy and insecure I came across in those notes. At one point, I just stopped reading and said, “Why don’t we just burn them; I don’t ever want our children to see them!”
From time to time over the years, Cyndi has joked about how good it was that we started with a long distance relationship because at times, felt suffocated from 2000 miles away! Now I get what she was talking about. Pathetic! The good news is, the longer I was with Cyndi the more I knew I could trust her… and the longer she was with my needy self, the more she learned to communicate her feelings.
Twenty-six years later, I am not nearly so needy (you can verify this with Cyndi) and Cyndi has become a good communicator. And our relationship continues to grow and change in really good ways. I mention this because part of our growth involved very intentional commitments to learning, including attending every single marriage conference we have ever hosted at Chapel Hill.
We have another one next week. And Cyndi and I will be there. Not because our marriage is in trouble… but because our marriage is precious, and we love learning new ways to make it even stronger. I hope you will join us. You can register HERE. Scholarships are available, but to the person who complains about the cost, I would say, You will spend twice that on your first counseling appointment after you’ve waited too long! It’s a great investment in the most important relationship of your life.
We hope to see you… and “No” you may not look at my letters.
Pastor Mark
P.S. A reminder that on this Super Bowl weekend, we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper both Saturday night and Sunday morning. Make worship your priority!