This week, my wife Cathy and I celebrate our five-year wedding anniversary. On May 11, 2018, we were sealed in the Provo City Center Temple. For our single readers who long for a joyful eternal marriage, we have faith that one day that joy will be yours. How do you want people to respond when it’s your turn to celebrate new love in your life? Do you want them to be happy for you and celebrate with you?
When Cathy and I were single, long before we ever met, we each affirmatively decided that when people found love and got married, we would choose to be happy for them. It was a blessing we wanted for ourselves and being happy for them gave us hope. When it was our turn, and we were tempted to feel sad for those who weren’t there yet (but wanted to be), it provided the opportunity to be truly happy for ourselves and receive the well wishes of those who chose to be happy for us. When we choose to be sincerely happy for the good fortune of others, it echoes in the halls of eternity.
When a dating partner gives you the news that they no longer want to date, it may tempt you to feel bitter and even cast aspersions in return. When a mid-single friend gets engaged, you may be tempted to feel jealous, thinking that your friend might spend less time with you after they are married. You may feel bitter because your friend has been blessed with something you also want and even ache for. Those negative reactions will keep you stuck instead of allowing the freedom to move forward and create our own happily ever after.
We have always thought it sad when a dating couple who shared many positive memories and personal feelings decide to break up and end up hating each other (or pretend the other person doesn’t exist). That is rarely necessary. When we give each other grace and wish each other well instead of fault finding and blaming, we spread a little more light in the world and feel better about our own prospects for the future.
As you dream about your own future, you have many reasons to be hopeful, and the blessings you see bestowed on others are reasons for you to find and maintain hope. The following is a statement about hope from our book, Intentional Courtship:
On May 11, 2018, I knelt at the altar in the Provo City Center Temple – itself a symbol of beauty and power rising like a phoenix from the ashes of destruction – and looked into the eyes of my stunning bride, surrounded by loved ones on both sides of the veil, and started my life over again at age fifty. I was overwhelmed by the abundant gifts that had been restored to me by a loving Father in Heaven. In that moment, I shed tears of gratitude for the exceptional woman kneeling with me at that altar – for her belief in me, her love, and the sacred promises we were making to each other. In that moment I was grateful beyond words that neither of us had given up on the dream and taken the easier path. I thought, again, about the Biblical story of Job because, “the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10).
NEW PODCAST & VIDEOS
This week we finish diving into “REJECTION” on LILY Pod to support you in becoming a master at dealing with the inevitable rejection that comes with dating and relationships. Enjoy the full series (LILY Pod 117-119).
LILY Pod 118: Giving Rejection Well
LILY Tube: Flameless Fireside: Rejection – Handling the Unavoidable Part of Dating
LILY Short: Marriage Pros & Cons
Discover 6-Steps to recover from divorce and design a life you love with Jeff & Cathy’s “Life Design After Divorce” 12-week Course. To access the entire course, REGISTER HERE: lilywebinars.com
About the Author
Jeff Teichert, and his wife Cathy Butler Teichert, are the founders of “Love in Later Years,” which ministers to Latter-day Saint single adults seeking peace, healing, and more joyful relationships. They are co-authors of the Amazon bestseller Intentional Courtship: A Mid-Singles Guide to Peace, Progress and Pairing Up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jeff and Cathy each spent nearly a decade in the mid-singles community and they use that experience to provide counsel and hope to mid-singles and later married couples through written articles, podcasts, and videos. Jeff and Cathy are both Advanced Certified Life Coaches and have university degrees in Family & Human Development. They are the parents of a blended family that includes four handsome sons, one lovely daughter-in-law, and a sweet baby granddaughter.
Purchase Jeff & Cathy’s book Intentional Courtship:
Discover 6-Steps to recover from divorce and design a life you love with Jeff & Cathy’s “Life Design After Divorce” 12-week COURSE. Register here: lilywebinars.com/order-page
Connect with Jeff & Cathy:
Website: http://www.loveinlateryears.com/
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/loveinlateryears
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/loveinlateryears
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LoveInLaterYears
Instagram: http://instagram.com/loveinlateryears/
Email:
lo**************@gm***.com
