The funny thing is about obtaining a dream sometimes though, is that we forget to appreciate it. The realization of the dream kind of sneaks up on us, and before we know it – we’re in it...yet still looking around for something just beyond the horizon.
It struck me recently that just like a fire takes effort to build and maintain, so do relationships. They’re very much the same, actually. You start with a kindling, paper, and a match……slowly adding larger pieces of wood until eventually you have a roaring fire. It’s easy to stop here, sit back and relax…….or put a check in the box “fire built” and consider it done, moving on to the next thing grabbing your immediate attention. (Read here: raising 3 small children, remodeling a house, working long hours, being involved in the lives of others, and maintaining even the basics with the aforementioned in the mix). You look away from that roaring fire and get absorbed in other things, just counting on that warmth to continue….and slowly but surely the flames begin to die down. You don't noticed it at first, but soon you feel cold. When you look over at your fire, all you see is a smoldering pile.
Have you ever sat across the table from that someone you once could talk to for hours and not have a thing to talk about? Well, my guess….and even in speaking from experience….is that it’s not that there’s nothing to talk about, it’s that you’ve let the fire burn down and have a bit of rework to do to get it roaring again.
And so – that’s date night for us. Thanks to the blessing of great friends and family who welcome our little ones into their homes for an evening every now and then, Jason and I are able to throw a few logs on the fire…..remember our dreams together..…do some planning..…laugh a little, and enjoy each other. Just us. Then, it’s really not so hard to remember why we got together in the first place!
“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” Song of Solomon 6:3
