The day of the wedding is the moment that most of us eagerly wait to happen. It is the day dedicated to us and it signifies crowning of the intimate relationship that we have. Besides that, a wedding means a lot of guests and a lot of lovely presents from family and friends. Some will be good, some will be wonderful, but some are… just odd.
The wedding day of Kathy and Brandon Gunn was like any other. It was an event woven with love, good friends, beloved family members and lots of gifts and wonderful memories. However, their Aunt Alison made their day quite extraordinary. She gave them the most unusual gift ever! Aunt Alison’s present was a mystery on the day of the wedding since she instructed the young couple to open the gift when their first disagreement occurs.
Imagine their excitement about it. Nevertheless, Kathy and Brandon followed their aunt’s instructions. The gift ended up in their closet and they almost forgot about its existence. Like many other couples out there, Gunns had many disagreements and disputes. But, they never even thought of opening the gift that meant a lot to them – not until nine years later.
The moment they opened the gift was not the time of their heated argument. It was actually the other way around. Their marriage was going well, and their lives were coming together nicely. When Kathy and Brandon were discussing buying a gift for their friends’ wedding, the idea for opening the box came to them. They remembered the old box, opened it, and discovered the best present they had ever received.
The box held some ‘life-saving cash’ as well as two notes, one for Brandon and one for Kathy. “Kathy, go get a pizza, shrimp, or whatever you both like,” Aunt Alison wrote in her note to Kathy. “Go prepare a bath.” Brandon’s note, on the other hand, stated: “Looking at the words ‘bottle of wine,’ ‘flowers,’ ‘food,’ and ‘bath,’ it didn’t take much thought to predict what was the next thing to do.”
Kathy and Brandon have no regrets about opening the box nine years later. They are convinced that the box was some kind of link that kept them going. It somehow caused them to have a loving and supportive marriage. The simplicity of the gift, as well as the thoughtful intention, made this gift very special to them. “To us, it would have meant that we lacked the ability to make our marriage work – and we’re both far too stubborn and determined for that.
” As a result, it compelled us to reconsider our options. Was it truly time to crack open the box? What if this isn’t our toughest battle? What if the next one is even worse and we don’t have our box?!? As my Great Uncle Bill used to say, “nothing is ever so bad that it can’t get any worse.” Reading this story, it becomes clear that the little things do matter.!