Brave Enough To Be Bliss

When the owner and I were emailing back and forth about my arrival, I disclosed a little personal information, and he responded with a little. I was going to be there for a month where I knew absolutely no one and was 14 hours away from anyone I did know, so it felt like it might be nice to have a bit of a friend there…or for peace of mind, at least someone I could call in an emergency.

The following are a few excerpts from the emails.

On Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 6:01 AM, Owner wrote: … You will find a little "maize and blue" around the cabin as the best thing I brought back from Ann Arbor was my bride of almost 40 years. The best Michigan hoops player transferred to Kansas for this year, making them the preseason #1, but no hard feelings. On Wed, Oct 18, 2023, 5:53 PM Ginger Bliss wrote: … Sounds like Ann Arbor treated you very well, though, with a true keeper like her! Congratulations on 40 years! Very impressive! It always makes me so happy for people when they’ve made it work for that long! Any words of advice for the book on marriage? On Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 06:10:19 AM CDT, Owner wrote: … As to marriage success, I can only offer that we both are Christians, with her decision early, and mine in college. From the greatest sermon ever preached, Jesus taught in Matthew 6:33 to seek first the kingdom of God and everything else will be added later. (Well-illustrated in seasons 2 and 3 of the Chosen series, but I digress!) When we put the Lord first, each other 2nd, family/ kids/grandkids 3rd, etc., that has been a formula that has stood the test of time. As the wisest who ever lived observed, a "three cord strand is not easily broken" ( Ecclesiastes 4:12). We are blessed to have had 4 kids, 2 grandkids and 2 more on the way! Being a "Nana and Papa" is fantastic and the reward for not killing your kids when they frustrated you growing up! I have been asking that marriage question when I meet people who have been married a long time and it’s always so interesting to hear their responses. I also like to see if there are any commonalities among the random people I run across. It could just be my perception, but it seems less frequent that relationships last that long and stay relatively happy. Multiple people have said something like, “I don’t know anyone or many couples who are actually happy. ” And that makes me sad. Certainly, as a divorced person I could be callous about marriage, but I’m not at all. I’ m always hopeful that people will invest in themselves and each other and do better than I did when I was married. I love a great love story. Not a perfect love story, but a great one where people truly enjoy each other ’s company and pull through the hard times, growing closer because of them. I wanted to share that conversation with The Shack owner as an example that great relationships are possible. So, if you’re in a relationship or a marriage that is more like the one in th e song below, you can think about what the foundation for you as a couple is. I f you don’t have one, try to develop one. And while you’re doing that, identify things you could do individually to work toward having a healthier relationship with yourself, because when we do that, it naturally helps as a couple. And maybe even imagine what song you want to work toward that would represent your relationship when you come out on the other side of this challenging time. Sure, it will be work, but you just have to choose your hard, as I can’t imagine living alone in a relationship is easy. “Marriage is hard. Divorce is hard. Choose your hard. Obesity is hard. Fit is hard. Choose your hard. Being in debt is hard. Being financially disciplined is hard. Choose your hard. Communication is hard. Not communicating is hard. Choose your hard. Life will never be easy. It will always be hard. But we can choose our hard. Choose wisely.” Unknown

Carly Pearce - We Don't Fight Anymore (ft. Chris Stapleton) (Official Music Video) (youtube.com)

As you may recall from my first trip to Michigan, I walked by the property on that first morning and knew I would be back there to stay in the future. I was certain of this even before I looked in the windows. And it was a sure thing even before I walked around and stood at the water’s edge.

It had simply been a feeling when I saw it for the very first time. And I listen to feelings now much more confidently than I listen to my brain. My feelings are trustworthy, unlike my brain.

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