We are a society of instant gratification. But so much in life becomes good when we are in it for the long haul. Like, for example, our puppy, Kai. Now we really haven’t been in “it” that long with him. He is roughly 8 months old…

But I can tell you that those first 3 months were rough. Many times I thought, “this was a mistake.” We seriously considered admitting defeat and getting rid of him. But we pressed on. We put in our time cleaning up accidents and rushing him outdoors to go potty. We’ve worked on sit, stay, down, high-five, and “leave it”, which means stop stealing the kid’s toys!

If we had given up though, we would have missed out on what we believe to be the world’s best dog. Now most dog owners think their dog is the greatest- but either way, I’ve never know an 8 month old puppy to be so good with kids. My almost four year old boy will tackle him around the neck and drag him to the ground. Kai plays along but never gets aggressive.

Our marriages are the same way. They take work, they take time. And they can (and will) get better with age if we take the time to work on them. Sort of like a good wine :). Chris Leito, a top iron man triathlete said, “To be good at a long-distance sport, you have to put in time building a strong foundation.” And I cannot think of anything that is more like a long-distance sport than marriage.

So, we sincerely hope that something during this two week series on marriage struck a cord with you! If so, please share in the comments section. Like Bring the Kids said yesterday, “Begin with the end in mind.” It is a little like climbing a fourteener – enough baby steps and you eventually get there. It is possible. It will not just happen by itself. We will not suddenly arrive one day at a great marriage. We must be purposeful.

Thanks for joining us and have a great weekend!

-the Ericksons