I learned today that canoeing just doesn’t come naturally to me. The entire first half of the trip I was worried about getting the two of them impaled by all the branches and logs I was crashing into. We drove about an hour to a little town called Vernon, north of Panama City. Samm had sent me a text message last weekend with all these photos of the fresh water springs up there. At first I had thought it was some tropical place in South America because of how blue and exotic the water looked. When I learned that it was so close to where we lived, I suggested we take a day trip sometime to check it out. We weren’t disappointed. Although chilly, the water was crystal clear, and even baby blue in some deep spots. The farther the river wound, the more obstacles we seemed to encounter. So my canoe skills had no choice but to improve if we wanted any chance at getting back in one piece. After a few trials and errors, I got it. Going in unison with Samm and pushing the paddle forward against the current to get us to slow down or turn ended up making this a lot easier. Amazingly enough, we made it back to shore about a minute before a torrential downpour began. Our day trip was saved.
A marriage is a lot like this canoeing experience. We have to work together and and in harmony in order to get where we want to go together. If not, we will just spend our time speeding out of control and crashing into things. We have a plan, and as long as we both are on the same page and working together honestly, we can make this work. Finally I feel like I am getting the reassurances I need in order to feel comfortable in this relationship again. The attentiveness, sweetness, and genuine love I felt from my wife today was what I have been longing for, for a long time.
love the canoe analogy.