At a time when the world seems silent,our lived experience is not.
WMFL Westminster is inviting guest contributors to share their insights to help us feed marriage and family life.
Our thanks for this second instalment by Charles & Krysia Golabek, Worldwide Marriage Encounter England & Wales WWME.org.uk
36 years ago, we had a young family of three. Life was full of the pressures of looking after small children, working long hours, and just constantly watching the pennies and trying to make ends meet. Then the Holy Spirit gave us a nudge and we went on a Marriage Encounter weekend. It was God given. It changed our lives.
The weekend gave us time and space just for each other. We found a way of communicating called dialogue. We shared feelings through writing and had the time and space to explore and listen to one another. Our intimacy grew and we found ourselves back in the early years of our marriage.
But how were we to keep this going when we got home – back to the pressures of everyday living?
We joined a group of like-minded couples and supported one another in keeping our intimacy and dream alive. The years became a journey of ups and downs, but the dream never faded. We grew in knowledge and understanding of ourselves and of one another. We were there for each other when disappointments came our way, when the children went through their difficult teenage years and then finally when they left home, and we became empty nesters.
Now we are retired and share every day with one another. This brings its own stresses at times as we are both strong characters, but we have learned to accept and support one another even though we are very different. Sharing, listening and forgiveness have become part of everyday life and our mantra is not what I need to do to make myself happy but what can I do for you today in order to make you happy. Loving you is always my choice.
And now in times of lockdown we are in a good place. We look back at our lives and are eternally grateful for all that we have received, for all the things we have done and achieved and most especially for the gift God gave us in one another.
Thank you, Lord
