Chris and Heidie
Married 12 years
Chris and I met at church; during a time I least expected to marry.
After years of childhood abuse and an abusive marriage that ended with unanswered questions, my heart was battered and scarred, with little room to trust. It was a struggle to take care of myself and my toddler and anything else was too much to handle in my already overwhelmed existence.
New church friends kept telling me about a guy named “Chris,” but I lived in relationship fear, so I did nothing. I knew that life comes with the guarantee of trials and challenges, and hoped that in spite of these I could find its blessings and rewards.
I received an invitation to attend church with the local singles, and somehow found the courage to attend. I sat in the pew timid yet hopeful when I notice a truly gorgeous guy sitting on the stand. I was mesmerized and watched him throughout the meeting.
“Chris” had been hearing about me from his friends and afterwards he introduced himself to me. He was handsome with piercing eyes. I felt like he could see right through my social awkwardness. Butterflies kissed the walls of my stomach and something “woke up” in me. I didn’t quite understand the physical feelings that I had never previously experienced.
Two days later Chris invited me over for a BBQ. I was really shocked, flattered, and nervous! When I walked in, he was singing and playing his guitar with a small crowd. When I looked at him and listened, I felt like my knees would buckle! He was full of masculinity, tender eyes, and a soothing laugh. I felt completely uplifted by him. He was kind and patient and didn’t seem turned-off by my awkwardness or shy manner.
He calmed my fears without words, and sometimes with them. He was always easy to talk to, and easy to trust. Chris says that from this point forward my confidence grew and his affection and desire for me grew with it. Twenty days later, I said, “I Love You” to Chris and five months later we married! We have been happily married for 12+ years.
How We Strengthen Our Marriage
The beauty of marriage is the opportunity that it gives us to love deeper than we ever knew possible. Open communication, commitment and trust have become our source of hope, faith, and love. We strengthen our marriage through:
- Inviting God through prayer, scriptures, and actions
- Affection…and lots of it!
- Support of each other at projects, events, and activities
- Humor
- Love notes, calls, text messages, emails, talking…daily
- Exploring new things together
- Reading books and discussing intimacy
- Our commitment to work on issues (even when we don’t want to!)
- Discovering ways of serving and edifying each other
Our commitment to each other, our common goals, and consistent communication have helped us create a marriage that strengthens us in times of trial. We find greater strength in each other, and heal our wounds with love and intimacy.
Visit Heidie’s blog “Simply Sweet Marriage” to learn more about how to strengthen your marriage intimately!
Hear more about Chris and Heidie by watching the video clips of their appearance with Laura Brotherson on Utah’s KJZZ TV station:
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This is one of the “How We Met” stories featured here on “Laura’s Strengthening Marriage Blog.” You can enter to win a Romantic Getaway to The Anniversary Inn by sending us a favorite photo of you and your spouse, and/or a wedding or engagement photo, by Saturday, February 14th, 2009. Tell us the story of how you met, how many years you’ve been married, plus something you do to strengthen your marriage (500 words or less). Send your photo and story here.
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Thanks for featuring us on your blog. Believe it or not, writing that story took 9 rough drafts and 3 days of good discussion! Kinda silly, but it was really good for us to reflect. I even found out that Chris almost had a fist fight at a singles dance with another guy who wanted to date me…I had no idea about it until we wrote this out together! That was fun to find out after 12 1/2 years! Goes to show that marriages are ever growing. I love that you did this and how uplifting your blog is.
Enjoy a Sweet Valentine’s everyone!