Creating our own country...

The book I am currently reading, "Almost French," by Sarah Turnbull, tells the true story of an Australian woman who falls in love with a Frenchman, and her often bittersweet adventures of trying to understand and fit into French culture.

In many ways marriage is like going to live in another country.  You have to get used to the other person's habits and lifestyle. Add the extended family and their traditions to the mix. If it is a second marriage, there are kids and ex-spouses as well.

There are language barriers- he says something, you hear something else. You express a thought, he hears a challenge. Thankfully, you both speak a common language- LOVE.

In the book the author describes the frustration and arguments over different expectations. He wants it one way, she wants something else. They argue and then over time, they concede on both sides and a compromise is reached. Neither feels that they "gave in" or "gave up" too much. Underneath it all is the knowledge that both lovers are "trying their best."

Isn't that really all that matters in the end? That both partners honestly, and lovingly try their best?
Try their best to really listen to the other person. Try their best to empathize and understand. Try their best to speak from the heart. Try their best to be honest about their fears, their pain.

Marriage and partnership is never easy, but if we approach every conflict, every misunderstanding with an open and loving heart, then we eventually create our own country in which to dwell. A place where love, joy, respect, understanding, laughter and tears can reside in harmony.