For couples out there, please read this!
I've heard the saying,
"The best gift parents can ever give to their children is to love each
other."
I've had the pleasure of
witnessing the truth of this statement for over 40 years. From as far back as I
can remember my Mom and Dad were a team. A great partnership. They were more
than just a partnership. It was as if they were one person.
Sure, they argued, but there
was never any doubt in our minds that any disagreements would be worked through
and resolved. Mom and Dad began their married life poor, but they worked hard
and, over the years, built a very successful business. They each had their
strengths and weaknesses, but the way they worked together, you never saw the
weaknesses, just the strengths.
Dad was the outgoing, more
public person with whom people met and fell in love with right away. Everyone
knew Dad! Then, when they got to meet Mom, they felt the exact same way about
her as well. Mom, although not at all shy, was more comfortable being the
person behind the scenes. More detail oriented, she ran the books and,
according to Dad, was the one who really made the business work.
The biggest lesson about love
and marriage that my mom and dad taught us kids was how to talk
"about" your spouse. Have you ever heard husbands and wives, when
speaking to others, make unkind remarks about their spouses? It's one of those
things people just seem to do. Sure, they're "only kidding," or maybe
they are not. But words matter. And words teach, whether positively or
negatively.
You would never hear such a
thing from my mom and dad. Dad always speaks of Mom in the most complimentary,
glowing terms. As does she of him.
This lesson made such an
impression on me. I still remember when I was age 12 and we were getting carpet
installed in our home. The crew boss was one of those stereotypical beer
guzzling, hard-living guys, who would have probably belonged to Ralph Kramden's
Raccoon Lodge from the old Honeymooner's TV show. For lunch, my folks bought
pizza for the crew. Dad went to talk with the boss about the job. I was around
the corner listening. The boss said, "This is an expensive job. Women will
really spend your money, won't they?" Dad responded, "Well, I'll tell
you, when they were right there with you before you had any money, it's a
pleasure to do anything for them you possibly can."
This wasn't the answer the
carpet installer expected to hear. He was looking for negative banter about
wives which, to him, was natural. He tried again: "But, gee, they'll really
play off that and spend all they can, won't they?" Dad replied, as I knew
he would, "Hey, when they're the reason you're successful, you want them
to do the things they enjoy. There's no greater pleasure." Strike two.
The crew boss tried one more
time, "And they'll take that as far as they can, huh?" Dad responded,
"She's the best thing that ever happened to me. I'd do anything to make
her happy." I was trying not to laugh. I knew he wanted Dad to give in
just a little bit and say, "Yeah, I guess that's true." But it
wouldn't happen... not in a million years!