After having known each other for 18 years, it was assumed by many that we knew everything about each other. But Alex and I really find that despite years of friendship, it was only since our wedding day on January 24 this year that our “true” comfortable selves surfaced. It was truly a turning point (for the better, of course!) in our relationship.
When we were preparing for our wedding, we thought that we had everything in the bag. Flowers, ensemble, caterer… you name it! We were thinking to ourselves “Why do people get so stressed putting this together?” So along with those preparations, we were also completing the requirements for marriage. It was only during this time that we realized we were focusing on the minor preparations rather than major preparation being getting ourselves ready to be each other’s spouse.
Luckily for us, one of the requirements was to attend a Pre-Cana seminar at the Santuario de San Antonio Parish. Honestly, we were hesitant and questioning the need to attend such a talk. We thought “Why do we need this? Our relationship is good enough at this point. We got through and now we’re getting married.” But little did we expect that it would open up our eyes to so many aspects of marriage that we had not really considered – money matters, child bearing, raising a family, sickness, personal changes… the list goes on.
It was when we attended the seminar that we were exposed to different couples with varying experiences and, surprisingly, it made us appreciate each other even more. We saw that in their marriages, they had gone through their own challenges and trials but because their spouses had exercised mercy and compassion, they persevered and continued to live happily as a couple.
We never really thought to ourselves and appreciated each other for those times where we had to exercise mercy and compassion in our own relationship. It was in this seminar that it occurred to us the role it played for us to get to this point.
It was on our wedding day when we finally felt a different kind of “oneness”, with God as the protagonist in this new chapter in our lives. We know now what it is to live for another and that in life, there are many unexpected situations and difficulties but when we exercise mercy and compassion, we can get through anything “for better, or for worse”.
Santuario de San Antonio Parish 