Teamwork

We fulfilled a wedding requirement last weekend by spending our day in a church school cafeteria for pre-cana. While typically run by a married couple in the church, our session was run only by the husband of the team, as his wife had to work that morning. To say I was disappointed in the lack of a female perspective throughout the day would be an understatement, but there are worse things. Regardless, our guide was engaging and honest (sometimes almost to a fault), and I loved that he used personal examples to help expand on different topics.

If I'm being completely honest, I wasn't looking forward to the day in general (having to be somewhere at 9am on a Saturday - and paying $195 for it - is not my idea of a good time), but thanks to some nudging from Dan I attempted to approach it with a positive attitude. Although I didn't get nearly as much out of the day as I was hoping and expecting to, there were a couple of key things that really struck me, and will continue to as we prepare for marriage together!

In a morning small group activity, we were tasked with coming up with the 4 top things that are needed for a successful relationship. Most everyone threw out the typical "honesty", "compromise" and "humor" answers (which I agree with, don't get me wrong), but when Dan said "teamwork" some others at the table almost looked shocked. I realized quickly how right he was though - and maybe it is more a "thing" of ours than it is with others - but we really and truly are a team! A word that has been drilled into our heads since kindergarten - teamwork - and how crucial it is! I loved that Dan dove deeper into the exercise than any of the rest of us in the group, searching for components of a relationship that are absolutely necessary but not the first things that often come to mind. And, I always love a reminder of just how perfect our little team of two is :).

Prior to lunch we were told to write letters "from one lover to another". While the title is just about as cheesy as they come, I knew I would LOVE this exercise as I adore any little physical memento of our time together that I can get my hands on. I save ticket stubs, plane tickets from trips we've taken together, hotel key cards from nights away. But the things I love most in my box of saved memories are the written pieces - the list of things Dan loves about me that he gave me on a retreat 2 years ago, the note he left on my car the afternoon of our first date telling me what time he would pick me up, the torn sheet of paper that he scribbled "come over if you want bacon" on. So, we wrote letters to each other and read them over lunch - where I promptly got all teary eyed, Dan made fun of me, and we went on with our meal :). But, you'd better believe I've read that letter a solid dozen times in the few days since, and I will continue to read it for years to come. The letter was a perfect reminder of just how blessed and fortunate we are, and sometimes, those reminders are exactly what I need. He pointed out our luck in both having jobs in a rough economy, our awesome puppy Louie Louie, the house that we OWN together and have put so much of ourselves into, and most importantly - our relationship, which has grown so much over the years and will only continue to do so.

I could go on forever about all of the incredible things about Dan (aww), but as I know a long post without any pictures can get boring quickly, I will end it here. And, in the months to come when I'm stressed about wedding planning or any of the other things that come with life, I'll read my letter and remember that I am a part of a really incredible team.