Prized Possession

When Kevin and I were engaged, it was recommended that I take a marriage class during church.

I was excited that it was suggested, because I wanted to know al the details about marriage! The good, the bad, and everything in-between I wanted to be indulged in. The teacher and people in the class made me look forward to going. I had known some of the attendees since I was seven, so this was a big eye opener for me. In that class, I found out plenty of things. Almost anything can interfere with your marriage if you let it. One experience stood out to me in particular, and for some reason I am feeling so grateful for it today.

One Sunday, the teacher came in and asked us if we have any prized possessions that we would take if there was a fire. Some people mentioned things like wedding album, watch, and some jewelry. My teacher nodded, and he looked at his wife that was in the room. The look he gave her was filled with tenderness and love. He then scanned the room then bowed his head, stood still, and softly said, "I would take the picture that's on my nightstand." He then looked up, and watched us lean in on why he would take just one picture. What was the picture of? He told us that he kept a picture of his wife right next to his nightstand. The picture was of her when she was younger. He specifically has that photo, because he said her smile is so bright and she seems so happy. If they ever go to bed after arguing, it is inevitable that he has to look at his nightstand and see a bright, smiling girl. That girl is his wife that he just argued with, and it makes him want to mend what just happened. He recommended that we keep a favorite photo of our spouse on our nightstand, so that no matter what we can find joy from a single photo. He testified that having that picture of her has helped them come over fights, because he can't go to bed without knowing that she isn't as happy as she was in the picture. 

   

                                                                                           I took this to heart. Before Kevin got home, his sister in law gave me a photo of him. It read "Elder Teebs," which was his nickname that his family called him. I had never met him before, but that picture just brought so much happiness and peace. I put it on my dresser so I could always remember the missionary that I was writing and starting to fall in love with. When he came home, it ended up hanging on my wall. When we got married it moved to my nightstand, and there it still remains. Not only does it remind me to not be contentious and get worked up so easily, but it reminds me of how we met. This was all I had when we were writing. I smile every time I see the picture, because what are the odds that things worked out between us? If you haven't read our story, click here to read. His picture reminds me of how my testimony has strengthened so much, because I took a leap of faith and trusted in the Lord to wait for Kevin. I had this feeling I should wait, so I did. There are so many feelings that come with just looking at his picture. This is the first hard copy picture I had of him until after he came home. This is the prized possession I would take if there was a fire.