Togetherness Without Words

As we were driving back from a ‘lil weekend getaway at our favorite place [Seaside, Florida], I commented: “Ya know, babe, I really do see that we can be together and enjoying quality time without always talking about something serious or even talking at all” and that’s when Brandon looked at me and said, “Babe, that’s got to be the blog topic for this week!!” 

For the longest time, I did not feel like we were really having great quality time if we were not talking. Growing up in my 'Christian girl bubble'...I had dreamed about the days I would have one day with my husband as we would spend the majority of our time talking about what we’re learning in The Word, when our next trip would be overseas to do missions, which night of the week we’d take dinner to the widow down the street, and so forth. When we were first married, I asked Brandon if we could get involved with some kind of ministry - to really invest our time in together and make an eternal difference. At first, I had pictured us spending time at the Nashville Rescue Mission or something. Little did I know that it would look like me being the Community Relations Manager at Mercy Ministries. Wow - God sure did fulfill my heart’s desire to do something that I was passionate about, that Brandon and I could both be involved in, that was literally our “mission field” in our backyard. 

My comment in the car coming back from the beach was really just to emphasize what special time we had just enjoyed by the ocean - not even talking about “world changer” topics or “how to be a better spouse” type of conversations. It was truly a sweet time to get away and be together - just the two of us - in the midst of a fun and busy summer. A summer that started out with a big move to a new city, weddings, babies, weekends at the lake, trips to California, and so forth. To go to our favorite little corner of the world and just eat cheese, sit in the shade, and read was just what we needed. Speaking of which, not only have I learned over time that you don’t always have to be talking when you’re together to have ‘quality time’...we have BOTH discovered a love for the following three things: cheese, shade and reading. Random...I know! Who would have thought when we were younger that one day we would have an appreciation for a good cheese [FYI: Whole Foods always has great samples of their fantastic cheeses!], that we would rather sit in the "umbrella forest" [Three umbrellas setup on the beach to provide a shady retreat on a hot summer day], and to choose "Summer Reading"...even when the required reading for school days is long gone! I do not think I have ever read a book before watching the movie in the theater...but that is my goal with reading The Help. And Brandon's book of the moment is The Rainmaker by John Grisham. Here's to many more days of enjoying the simple things...like cheese, shade & reading...while spending time with your favorite person...without always using "words"!!

Closing statement from the man of the house: “It was a pretty monumental moment when I realized that it clicked with Whit that quality time together without words is still special quality time. Sometimes at night when I am all 'talked out', I will even mention that I would love to spend time together...without words. Now it's fun to know that Whit gets what I mean by that. I'm not trying to put off having a solid, worthwhile conversation. There are sometimes just times where 'togetherness without words' is what says more than talking things through so much."