Building a Shed, a Litmus Test for Marriage

With Labor Day behind us, and the summer of 2012 unofficially over,  I took a few moments this past weekend and reflected over a few of the many adventures and accomplishments Shirley and I have had since the warmer weather moved in this past March.

One thing we finally accomplished this summer, after many years of contemplation, was the building of an eight by twelve storage shed, which sits adjacent to a one-car garage that Shirley and I had renovated two summers before--a fairly major project.

With no plans to go by, and intermediate carpentry skills under our belts, we tackled the project over vacation in July, completing most of it.  Before we started Shirley asked what the shed I had in mind looked like, so I sketched out a rough picture. I don't think she was too impressed. An artist I'm not.

Starting with a 10 inch deep gravel base framed in with pressure treated lumber, we went for it. The temps were blistering all week long which made it more of a challenge. Board by board, nail by nail, we were relentless all week long.

The reason I'm sharing this brief story is to illustrate something about our marriage. A bit of an analogy if you will. It all started with a solid base. Piece by piece the flimsy structure--like our marriage--came together to eventually form a solid unit. It didn't happen in a day. Believe me, our marriage has been far from perfect.

And believe me when I tell you this, not once did we get snippy or argue during the construction of the shed. In fact, we probably had more lighthearted moments during the process than anything. And looking back through our 28 years of marriage together, and the countless projects of working shoulder to shoulder, I've figured out that love and respect for one another has a lot to do with a successful marriage. Oh, and by the way, the shed construction was not without a few mistakes, just like our marriage. But we got the job done.

I'm a blessed guy. The shed was one more little test to prove that.

Here's a site that kind of falls in line with what I'm talking about. It's really how Shirley and I live. The only thing it leaves out, and something that I think is vitally important--the cornerstone really, is sharing a faith.

Go ahead, click it: 10 Things you Find in a Happy Marriage