"If you get married as Jacob did, putting the weight of all your deepest hopes and longings on the person you are marrying, you are going to crush him or her with your expectations. It will distort your life and your spouse's life in a hundred ways. No person, not even the best one, can give your soul all it needs. You are going to think you have gone to bed with Rachel, and you will get up and it will always be Leah. This cosmic disappointment and disillusionment is there in all of life, but we especially feel it in the things upon which we most set our hopes."
~Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods
The last day of our little getaway made up for the dismal beginning. Brunch at PJ's Rainbow Cafe gave Aaron the opportunity to try their famous "omwich". Fueled by delicious down-home cooking and lots of God given grace for each other, we drove north to find some hiking spots.
Once again, we quickly hit a roadblock. The trails we intended to explore were closed. And we had no phone signal to look for other trails. But we were somewhat familiar with the area, so we kept driving to the beautiful Gunnar Pool Recreation Area.
What a gem! The little park is hidden several miles off the main road, with primitive camping sites and clean pit toilets. We joined the North Sylamore Creek Trail and decided to hike for an hour before we turned around and came back.
I'm so thankful we didn't crumple when our first plans fell through, or we would have missed this stunning opportunity. Growing up in central Arkansas, ice and snow are infrequent visitors. The granite cliffs along the creek dripped with icicles. The water was clear and cold. And the whole thing took our breath away.
I was reminded that one of the things I love about our marriage is that we don't quit when things get hard. We've built an atmosphere of trust. Between the two of us, our personalities hit all five of the "secrets" to better communication: stay connected on the mundane stuff, be curious, create emotional safety, get uncomfortable, be intentional when you need to.
I would add that having a sense of humor/playing together is a big part of the glue that holds a couple together. Aaron does this extremely well. On this trip it looked like ballerina twirling across a rickety bridge that we crossed one at a time (just in case!).
We drove home refreshed and ready to tackle the next few busy weeks leading up to Aaron's departure for the Solomon Islands. I'm so grateful for God's gift of my husband, even when we hit the unexpected potholes of life, because our Saviour is always up to something good.
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