A bright light

We went to the area board meeting in Cincinnati on Friday night, not really knowing what to expect but mainly hoping to connect with the larger Marriage Encounter community. We also hoped there might be other couples from the Dayton area there, but apparently none of the leaders could get subs to attend.

(The meeting was in the current parish of our former pastor, but it turns out that he was out of town on vacation, so there wasn't a chance to see him.)

After the informal meet and greet period, we had an opening prayer and then took some time for introductions. There were a lot of couples from around the Cincinnati and northern Kentucky area, and apparently we weren't the only ones there for the first time. I was surprised at what happened next, as the couple who was leading the meeting apparently thought the couple from the ecclesial team was going to be presenting, and vice versa! Oops.

Fortunately the ecclesial team couple at least had a dialogue question handy on which we could write and share: In what ways to I struggle to be vulnerable to you? What are my feelings about my answer?

Well, I must confess to experiencing a moment of panic when I heard this. Did I dare to tell the truth concerning the depth of my isolation? I suppose I decided that it was now or never. It wouldn't be right to share here what I wrote to my bride, but it was honest and vulnerable and heartfelt. I know it was a surprise to her, but she received it in the same spirit as I offered it.

In turn, she also shared a significant struggle that she has in our relationship, one that didn't surprise me at all and very much fits with our relationship history. Again, it wouldn't be proper to share what that is, but I think I can say without compromising her confidence that, if I am not primarily responsible for her struggle, I did substantially contribute to it through the way I treated her in the first decade and a half of our marriage.

We have a follow-up question on which we have agreed to dialogue, but having the younger two of the older set of grandchildren over last night prevented our doing so. I believe I will invite her to do so shortly.